Moscow downplays significance of Biden’s visit to Kyiv

By DASHA LITVINOVA
Associated Press

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russian officials and state media have downplayed President Joe Biden’s surprise visit to Ukraine, painting Kyiv as a U.S. puppet and maintaining Moscow’s forces will prevail despite Washington’s pledges to send more weapons to Ukraine. Biden met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital Monday in a defiant display of Western solidarity days before the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion. The visit also took place on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s scheduled state-of-the-nation address, which some in Russia expect to set the tone for the year ahead — including for Putin’s bogged-down campaign in Ukraine.