This week in politics: Biden visits Kyiv, GOP 2024 race shaping up, GA grand jury foreperson talks
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This week saw the one-year-mark since Russia invaded Ukraine, with President Joe Biden making a surprise visit in Kyiv and later stopping in Warsaw to recognize the anniversary and reiterate U.S. support for Ukraine.
The anniversary comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the country would be pulling back from New START, a nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia. The White House also announced that the U.S. will be imposing a sweeping set of new sanctions against Moscow.
Back at home, the Republican field for the 2024 presidential race is slowly but surely heating up. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made the rounds in Iowa, a key early voting state, after a few campaign stops in New Hampshire. Her fellow South Carolinian, Republican Sen. Tim Scott, who is mulling a presidential bid of his own, also made a visit to the Hawkeye State.
What happened this week in politics?
Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his first visit to Ukraine since Russia launched its war.
Democrats breathed a sigh of relief when Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., announced he will be running for reelection ahead of a tough 2024 Senate map for Democrats.
In other election news, California Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee jumped in a soon-to-be fierce primary fight for retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat.
The foreperson of the Georgia grand jury investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election went public in a series of media interviews, revealing provocative details about the now concluded investigation – and possibly undermining public confidence in the case.
Facing GOP blowback for the disastrous toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the White House fired back, blaming former President Donald Trump’s administration for rolling back Obama-era rail safety measures.
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Biden pledges continued support for Ukraine
Biden made a surprise visit to Kyiv ahead of a scheduled trip to Warsaw to commemorate the one-year-anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It was his first trip to the war-torn country since Russia launched its war and there is little record of other U.S. presidents visiting an active war zone with no U.S. troop presence.
The meeting between Biden and Zelenskyy was symbolic, with Ukraine intensely lobbying the U.S. and the west for additional military aid. While in Kyiv, Biden announced the U.S. would be providing an additional $500 million in weaponry for Ukraine.
'We need to keep living': What life is like for Ukrainians a year into Russia's invasion
In Warsaw, Biden reiterated the west’s continued support for Ukraine as it fends off Russia. He also made clear the U.S.’s continued commitment to bolstering the NATO alliance, calling it “more unified than ever” in the face of Russian aggression on Tuesday.
“(Putin) doubts whether NATO can remain unified,” Biden said. “ But there should be no doubt: Our support for Ukraine will not waver, NATO will not be divided, and we will not tire.”
Haley continues the rounds as GOP 2024 race takes shape
The 2024 field for the GOP nomination for president is slowly shaping up. Haley continued her campaign in the crucial early voting state of Iowa after a trip to New Hampshire, another key primary state.
In Iowa, Haley made a direct appeal to GOP voters who might be considering Trump over her, telling them “we’ve got to look forward,” in Urbandale on Monday.
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“President Trump is my friend. I think he was the right president at the right time,” Haley said. “He came in. He broke the things that needed to be broken, and he fixed them. And I was proud to serve in his cabinet. But as dire of a situation as this is, as much as all the media and everybody wants to talk about the past, we need to leave the status quo in the past. We've got work to do. We've got to look forward.”
Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who is reportedly considering a presidential campaign in 2024, also made a stop in Iowa on Wednesday, delivering remarks at an event at Drake University in Des Moines and also speaking at the Republican Party of Polk County Lincoln dinner.
Tester announces reelection bid, Democrats breathe a sigh of relief
In other 2024 news, Democratic Sen. Jon Tester delivered good news for national Democrats on Wednesday when he announced his reelection bid for Senate in his home state of Montana.
Senate Democrats are looking at a tough map for 2024. Of the 34 seats up for reelection, Democrats will be defending 23 of them. Tester, a rare Democrat representing the deep-red red-leaning state of Montana, will be in the crosshairs of Republicans hoping to take the Senate.
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In California, Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee announced she will be running to replace retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Lee enters an intensely competitive primary with Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff already in the mix.
The seat, which lies in deep-blue California, is expected to remain in Democratic hands, meaning whoever comes out on top of the Democratic primary will likely win the general election as well.
Georgia grand jury foreperson goes public on a media tour
The foreperson of the Georgia grand jury investigating Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election went public this week, making the rounds with multiple media interviews.
Emily Kohrs gave provocative details about what is to come from the now concluded investigation, telling the New York Times that the grand jury recommended indictments against multiple people on various charges.
“It’s not a short list,” Kohrs told the New York Times. While declining to give details on who specifically is in that list, Kohrs said “You’re not going to be shocked. It’s not rocket science.”
While her public comments were highly unusual for any grand jury inquiry, legal experts told USA TODAY that her comments had no real legal implications but they could undermine public confidence in the process.
Related: Georgia grand jury foreperson's unusual media tour likely heartburn for Trump inquiry
Buttigieg visits East Palestine after train derailment disaster
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited East Palestine, Ohio on Thursday to assess damages after a toxic trail derailment that released hazardous chemicals into the town's ground, air and water.
Republicans have been attacking the White House, specifically targeting Buttigieg over the derailment, arguing Buttigieg was too slow to respond to the disaster. Buttigieg acknowledged at a news conference that he regretted not coming sooner, saying he was attempting to balance his role as transportation secretary while also not overstepping on the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the derailment.
Related: In another train derailment, 31 Union Pacific cars carrying coal derail in Nebraska
But Buttigieg argued that Republicans were playing “political games” over the disaster, pushing back against GOP lawmakers who were in favor of scaling back government rail regulations.
The White House also fired back at Republicans over the toxic train derailment in East Palestine Ohio, blaming the derailment on the Trump administration for rolling back Obama-era safety regulations that were implemented to avert such disasters.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden visits Kyiv, GOP 2024 race takes shape: week in politics
