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President Biden called off his final international trip as president mere hours before his scheduled departure to Rome and the Vatican, deciding to stay in Washington to oversee the response to catastrophic wildfires in California.
The president was set to embark Thursday following his delivery of a eulogy at former President Jimmy Carter’s memorial service. The three-day diplomatic mission would have included meetings with Pope Francis, Italian leaders President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and a crucial final meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
🚨 Biden cancels trip to Italy and Vatican at last minute 🚨 pic.twitter.com/QA3KsUTC6z
— Joni Job (@jj_talking) January 9, 2025
The journey was intended to serve as a fitting conclusion to Biden’s presidency, offering the second Catholic president a chance to demonstrate America’s strong international partnerships before departing office on January 20.
The planned meeting with Zelenskyy would have provided a final opportunity for both leaders to discuss Ukraine’s future before President-elect Donald Trump assumes office, amid growing concerns about continued American support for Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression.
While the Biden-Zelenskyy meeting hadn’t been officially announced, sources indicate the two leaders had arranged to convene in Rome on Friday, according to an unauthorized U.S. official.
Since Russia’s invasion nearly three years ago, the Biden administration has provided Ukraine with over $65 billion in military aid, including an anticipated $500 million weapons package announcement. Less than $4 billion remains in authorized congressional funding for Ukraine, with decisions about its allocation likely falling to the incoming Trump administration.
Trump’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has faced intense scrutiny, and his recent comments have intensified uncertainty about future U.S. support. The president-elect criticized the Biden administration’s backing of Ukraine’s potential NATO membership and appeared to align with Putin’s stance on the matter.
“A big part of the problem is, Russia — for many, many years, long before Putin — said, ‘You could never have NATO involved with Ukraine.’ Now, they’ve said that. That’s been, like, written in stone,” Trump, a Republican, told reporters Tuesday. “And somewhere along the line Biden said, ‘No. They should be able to join NATO.’ Well, then Russia has somebody right on their doorstep, and I could understand their feelings about that.”
The trip’s cancellation came shortly after Biden’s visit to Los Angeles, where he met his first great-grandchild and received briefings from fire officials. The city’s sky was thick with smoke and ash from the ongoing blazes.
“After returning this evening from Los Angeles, where earlier today he had met with police, fire and emergency personnel fighting the historic fires raging in the area and approved a Major Disaster declaration for California, President Biden made the decision to cancel his upcoming trip to Italy to remain focused on directing the full federal response in the days ahead,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Biden cuts off the fire briefing: "The good news is that I became a great grandpa"
Press is kicked out. 0 questions. pic.twitter.com/GjFYy7qUhv
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 8, 2025
The massive Palisades fire, which ignited Tuesday during Biden’s Los Angeles visit, forced the cancellation of his planned trip to Thermal to announce two new national monuments due to dangerous wind conditions.
During his return flight to Washington, Biden approved a federal disaster declaration for Los Angeles County. This measure enables federal funding for temporary housing, home repairs, and low-interest loans for uninsured property losses, while also providing financial assistance to state and local governments for firefighting and cleanup efforts.
