Just after 5 AM ET on Monday, networks started to break in to regular programming for special reports that President Joe Biden had made a surprise trip to Ukraine.
By then, the president was already in Kyiv, had traveled there during a long trip by train from Poland, with the news breaking when an embargo broke on coverage.
“I’m here to show our unwavering support for the nation’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Biden said as he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Marinsky Palace. NBC News was up at 5:03 AM ET with anchor Peter Alexander, and other networks doing their own reports throughout the morning.
The visit may have been a surprise, but it was not unexpected: Coming up on the first anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, Biden had scheduled a trip to Poland this week. That immediately led to speculation that the president would cross the border into Ukraine, making a rare visit to a war zone.
“There is no meeting with President Zelensky scheduled …. for the trip right now,” spokesman John Kirby said on Friday when asked by reporters. But there was suspicion that a trip was in the planning given the gaps on Biden’s schedule.
Biden left on Air Force One at 4:15 AM ET on Sunday, with no events on his public schedule for the day. Just a small group of journalists was with him, and they were instructed to hand over their devices. The president’s entourage was also small, including Jake Sullivan, Jen O’Malley Dillon and Annie Tomasini.
Networks already had been making plans for anniversary coverage with week, adding to reporting staffs already in Kviv to cover the war. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, for instance, was in Ukraine to co-anchor CNN This Morning this week.