U.S. officials warned Russia that President Biden was visiting the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv hours before he made the trip, the White House National Security Council revealed Monday, APA reports citing Associated Press.

National security officials provided more details about Biden’s surprise trip to Ukraine on Monday, calling the trip unprecedented given the lack of U.S. military infrastructure in the war-torn region. Reporters pressed National security adviser Jake Sullivan on whether the U.S. had warned Moscow that Biden was headed to Kyiv.

“We did notify the Russians that President Biden would be traveling to Kyiv,” Sullivan told reporters Monday.

“We did so some hours before his departure for de-confliction purposes.”

Sullivan declined to elaborate on how the Russians were notified and whether they responded, however.

The White House communicated with the Russian side “to ensure deconfliction” before Biden’s visit to Kyiv, APA reportrs citing Associated Press.

It was noted that the White House would not go into specifics but said that “basic communication with the Russians occurred to ensure deconfliction” shortly before Biden’s visit in an effort to avoid any miscalculation that could bring the two nuclear-armed nations into direct conflict.

Source: Azeri-Press News Agency