Just twenty-four hours before her first anniversary Russian invasion of UkraineThe image of the new bipolarity in world affairs has become clearer thanks to the parallel, highly symbolic visits of the US President to Kyiv and the Chinese Foreign Minister to Moscow.

In the morning of a cold but sunny day Mr. Joe Biden he toured with his master Vladimir Zelensky in the center of the city, on the outskirts of which, almost a year earlier, Russian tanks were moving menacingly. Some of them, now in ruins, were located near the golden-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral, which was visited by two leaders – an American president in sunglasses and a striped tie, in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, and his Ukrainian counterpart in the usual campaign uniform.

“When Putin launched the invasion almost a year ago, he thought that Ukraine was weak, and the West was divided. He thought he could win, but he was terribly wrong,” the US president said, assuring the Ukrainians that America would continue to support them “for as long as it takes.”

In this context, he announced an additional $500 million in military assistance for the purchase of artillery shells, air defense radars and other systems. In addition, he announced new sanctions against Russian leaders and businesses.

With the Chinese Foreign Minister’s concurrent visit to Moscow, China and Russia underscored the stability of their alliance.

During his five-hour stay in the Ukrainian capital, Joe Biden held talks with Volodymyr Zelensky, paid tribute to Ukrainian soldiers who died in the line of duty, and visited US embassy staff. As he and Zelensky walked away from St. Michael’s Cathedral, coalition air defense sirens sounded, but the two leaders ignored them.

Despite widespread rumors in the US media, Biden’s Kyiv visit was unannounced (his official schedule yesterday included only a visit to Poland). The President of the United States arrived in Kyiv, having traveled by train 11 hours from the border of Ukraine with Poland. According to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Moscow was notified of the upcoming visit hours in advance to avoid the risk of an accidental collision.

Shortly after Biden’s departure from Kiev, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Moscow, who, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, is also likely to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, he spoke from Budapest about the purpose of his visit, saying that Beijing’s goal is “a political solution (in Ukrainian) that will form a peaceful and sustainable basis for security in Europe.”

On Saturday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned China that it would face consequences if it supplied Russia with weapon systems, as the US suspects. Yesterday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused Washington of “spreading false information” and stressed, “We do not accept US criticism of China-Russia relations, let alone pressure and coercion.” For his part, Vladimir Zelensky, in an interview with the German Die Welt, said that “if China unites with Russia, there will be a world war, and I think China understood this.”

Tension in Moldova

Moldova’s relations with Russia are “already very strained,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday, accusing the leadership of the tiny former Soviet republic of “obsessing over anything anti-Russian” and “breeding anti-Russian hysteria.” Last week, Moldova’s parliament passed a vote of confidence in a new pro-Western government firmly committed to the country’s path towards EU membership. and demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from the self-proclaimed Transnistria. The previous, also pro-Western, government collapsed under the weight of political and financial scandals, and President Maia Sandu denounced the Russian destabilization plan. On Sunday, thousands of citizens demonstrated in the capital Chisinau, demanding that the state fully cover electricity bills that eat up 70% of the population’s income. The pro-Russian Shor party led the protests and, according to the BBC, organized a free bus transport for the protesters to Chisinau.