By Alexandra Alper

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – Jill Biden, the first lady of the United States, plans to depart Washington for a tour to Romania and Slovakia on Thursday. This will highlight America’s commitment to Ukrainian refugees over Mother’s Day weekend.

Her office stated that the wife of President Joe Biden would meet U.S. personnel and embassy personnel as well as displaced Ukrainian children and parents, humanitarian aid workers, and teachers on this four-day visit.

Biden, who teaches English and writing at a community college in Virginia, will also meet Romania’s first lady, Carmen Iohannis, an English teacher, as well as the president of Slovakia Zuzana Caputova.

Biden will be meeting with Ukrainian mothers and children fleeing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine on Sunday. This is Mother’s Day in America, according to her office.

Although they have limited policy-making power in the United States, wives of presidents often play a role of “soft power”, delivering an administration’s messages to voters at home and overseas.

U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zilenskiy at Kyiv. The President of the United States, Joe Biden, visited Poland in March.

Around 840,000 Ukrainians fled to Romania while only 80,000 remain. Although 2,000 Ukrainian students are currently enrolled at Romanian schools, state television will broadcast weekly lessons in Ukrainian language for children starting Friday.

Over 380,000 Ukrainians have entered Slovakia in the past decade, although most of them traveled to other European nations. This country is a staunch supporter of Ukraine and has provided shipping assistance, weapons, and even its only S-300 air defense system.

Biden is accompanied by Karen Donfried (Assistant Secretary of State for European, Eurasian Affairs), Curtis Ried Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs, the National Security Council, and Daniel Dieckhaus, Director for Humanitarian Affairs, the National Security Council.