Jill Biden pays surprise visit to Ukraine, meets first lady

First lady Jill Biden greets Olena Zelenska, spouse of Ukrainian’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, outside of School 6, a public school that has taken in displaced students in Uzhhorod, Ukraine, Sunday, May 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

UZHHOROD, Ukraine (AP) — Jill Biden spent several hours in Ukraine, driving from the border with Slovakia to a town 10 minutes away to see first lady Olena Zelenska on Mother’s Day.

Biden is the latest high-profile American to enter Ukraine during the war, while Zelenska’s public appearance was her first since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

The first ladies met at a school being used to temporarily house Ukrainian migrants. Biden and Zelenska came together in a small classroom and greeted each other in front of reporters before they met in private.

Zelenska and her two children have been staying at an undisclosed location for their safety.