Biden will travel to Europe next week for an extraordinary NATO meeting.

President Biden will attend a unprecedented NATO summit assembly in Brussels on March 24 and also will attend the European Union’s summit assembly the identical day, White Home and European officers stated on Tuesday.

President Biden will journey to Brussels subsequent week to attend the high-stakes gathering to debate ongoing deterrence and protection efforts in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir V. Putin intensified his bombardment of civilian targets as his unprovoked invasion of the nation entered its third week.

“His purpose is to fulfill head to head together with his European counterparts and speak about the place we’re at this level within the battle, within the invasion of Ukraine by Russia,’’ the White Home press secretary, Jen Psaki, stated at a briefing on Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve been extremely aligned to this point. That doesn’t occur by chance.”

The journey comes as Mr. Biden, who helped to coordinate a fast Western response to the invasion centered on highly effective sanctions and elevated navy support, faces intense strain to take extra direct motion to cease the killing of Ukrainian civilians. Stop-fire talks between the combatants have to this point yielded no outcomes.

Ms. Psaki offered few particulars of Mr. Biden’s journey and declined to say if he deliberate to fulfill with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he has praised as a hero. She additionally wouldn’t say whether or not Mr. Biden or different U.S. officers would meet with refugees who’ve fled the combating.

“We’re nonetheless finalizing the journey at the moment,” stated Ms. Psaki, including, “Nothing on the desk at this time limit, however the true focus proper now’s to fulfill with NATO companions in Brussels.”

The announcement of Mr. Biden’s journey comes after Vice President Kamala Harris visited Poland and Romania, NATO allies alongside Ukraine’s western borders, final week to specific assist for Ukraine and recommend that Moscow would possibly must be held accountable for doable battle crimes within the battle. Mr. Zelensky is anticipated to request better financial and navy support when he delivers a digital deal with to Congress on Wednesday.

Mr. Biden will be part of 30 NATO leaders on the particular, unexpectedly organized assembly, then plans to attend a beforehand scheduled European Council summit. Twenty-one of the European Union’s 27 members belong to NATO, and it’s doable that shut NATO allies like Sweden and Finland will even attend the assembly.

Administration officers stated that the White Home was exploring whether or not Mr. Biden would possibly proceed his journey to Jap Europe, to fulfill a number of the refugees flowing in a foreign country.

Mr. Biden additionally plans to announce extra assist for Ukraine’s protection, Ms. Psaki stated.

“We’re on Day 19,” Ms. Psaki famous of the Russian invasion.

“Along with their unimaginable braveness and bravado,’’ she stated of the Ukrainians, “{one of the} causes that they’re able to maintain again and push again in opposition to the Russian navy is due to the numerous quantity of navy help we’ve got offered.”

Mr. Biden, officers say, needs to go to Europe to make the case that he’s succeeding at unifying NATO and different European allies. However European diplomats, involved that there aren’t any quick main selections on the desk, are working to provide you with a serious announcement or initiative that might come up from the extraordinary assembly of the Western alliance.

Mr. Biden’s purpose,” Ms. Psaki stated, “is to fulfill head to head together with his European counterparts and speak about the place we’re at this level within the battle, within the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.”

Ms. Psaki shrugged off Russia’s announcement on Tuesday that it will impose reciprocal sanctions on high U.S. officers, together with herself and President Biden. She recommended, jokingly, that the Kremlin’s announcement might need missed its meant mark. The president, Ms. Psaki stated, is a “junior, so they may have sanctioned his dad by mistake.”