US First Lady Jill Biden made an unannounced trip to Ukraine on Sunday to show support for its people amid Russia's invasion, Reuters reported.
Biden visited a school that is serving as a temporary shelter and met Ukraine's first lady, Olena Zelenska.
"I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop and this war has been brutal and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine," Biden said, according to a report by a Washington Post reporter shared with other media organizations.
The school is serving as a shelter for 163 displaced Ukrainians, including 47 children, the report said.
Biden, who had been traveling in neighboring Slovakia, gave flowers to Zelenska, who was making her first public appearance since the Russian invasion began on February 24, according to a U.S. official. The two women hugged.
Zelenska said Biden was courageous for making the trip.
"We understand what it takes for the US first lady to come here during a war when the military actions are taking place every day, where the air sirens are happening every day even today," she said through an interpreter, according to the report.
"We all feel your support and we all feel the leadership of the US president, but we would like to note that the Mother's Day is a very symbolic day for us because we also feel your love and support during such an important day," added Zelenska.
US President Joe Biden has not visited Ukraine since the invasion, but other top US officials have: Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Last week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden would be happy to visit Ukraine but added that no such visit is in the works.
Jill Biden’s visit to Ukraine came hours after Ukrainian officials said that a school in the eastern part of the country was destroyed by a Russian bomb, burying dozens of people under the rubble.
The bomb, dropped Saturday night, sparked a fire which by early Sunday morning had completely destroyed a school in the village of Bilohorivka in the Luhansk province, regional governor Serhiy Haidai said.
Some 90 people were inside the school at the time, and as many as 60 are feared to have died.