War in Ukraine: Jill Biden's strategic visit to Romania and Slovakia

US First Lady Jill Biden before boarding a plane in Maryland on May 5, 2022. She is due to visit Romania and Slovakia.

AP - Susan Walsh

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

Jill Biden, the wife of US President Joe Biden, arrives in Romania for a visit on Friday May 6.

She will then travel to Slovakia from Saturday.

During this tour, she must meet Ukrainian refugees and humanitarian workers.

A trip that shows that Ukraine has also become a domestic political issue that risks being invited to the mid-term elections, scheduled for next November in the United States.

Advertisement

Read more

More than one in three Americans believe the Biden administration is not doing enough to

.

's mission to Romania and Slovakia

will therefore be to show that the United States cares about the plight of refugees and is ready to engage with them, even if it is still out of the question. to send soldiers into the field of war.

Because on this question, public opinion is just as clear: only one in five Americans would support such a military intervention.

► Also to listen: War in Ukraine: "Only the balance of power can bend Vladimir Putin"

On my way to Romania and Slovakia to spend Mother's Day with Ukrainian🌻 mothers and children who were forced to flee their homes because of Putin's war.

I will also visit US troops and express gratitude for the relief efforts of neighboring countries and aid workers.

— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) May 6, 2022

A few days after the

by the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Jill Biden therefore goes first to Romania, a country which has welcomed more than 850,000 refugees.

She is to meet American soldiers there, but also teachers who work with Ukrainian children.

On Sunday, Mother's Day in the United States, the president's wife will interact with Ukrainian mothers and children who have found refuge in Slovakia.

Jill Biden's trip also aims to reassure Americans of Ukrainian origin, who represent an important electorate for Democrats in " 

 " such as Ohio or Pennsylvania.

These states are those that can change sides from one ballot to another.

► To read also: United States: Donald Trump begins the midterm campaign on the denial of his defeat in 2020

© RFI

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_EN

• United States

• Ukraine

• Romania

• Slovakia

• Joe Biden