Alexander Kamyshin Profile picture
Advisor to President Zelenskyy on strategic affairs / President of the Ukrainian Chess Federation

Feb 21, 2023, 8 tweets

So, here is the story of @POTUS's visit to #Kyiv and how #RailForceOne was born.

Grab some 🍿, @Amtrak.

Danger: long 🧵 ahead.

I don't actually remember how we got from putin’s idea to “take Kyiv in 3 days” to President #Biden walking across #Kyiv together with my President #Zelenskyy on the 362nd day of the war.

Let's just say that Biden’s visit to Kyiv yesterday was a historic moment.

So, it was an honor and a privilege for me and the whole #IronTeam of @Ukrzaliznytsia to deal with this visit. I must say, it was complicated. But we did it. That's how #RailForceOne appeared.

Out of 24 hours, president Biden spent 20 on the train (both directions), and only 4 in Kyiv. That's why it was important for us to care about him in a proper way. And we did.

I will not tell much more about this mission. Just believe me, it was quite a complicated project for us. Our #IronDiplomacy program helps my country withstand in this war, that's why we #KeepRunning.

I also want to apologize for breaking our OTP (On Time Performance) yesterday. We had to delay some of our trains to give a way to #RailForceOne. It was painful for me and my team, but I had to do that. So only 90% of our trains arrived on time yesterday. I apologize.

Grateful to all #IronPeople engaged in this mission, @OlKubrakov and his team, as well as @USAmbKyiv and the whole embassy team, and many other people whom I can't name. 😎

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