Jill Biden wrote a poignant article after Ukraine's visit to appeal to Putin to stop bloodshed

 In a poignant article published by CNN on Wednesday, First Lady Jill Biden urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his "egregious and clumsy attack" on Ukraine.

During her surprise visit to Ukraine and neighboring countries over the weekend, Biden recounted some horrific stories told by Ukrainians.

• She wrote that mothers forced to flee the invading Russian military told Biden that he was shot while standing in line for bread and walking miles and miles "to escape violence.

• Biden said that Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady, "told me about the rape of women and children, and many children who saw people shot and killed

•  burning down their homes."

• "Mr. Al-Sayyid. "Putin, please end this brutal and senseless war," Biden wrote at the end of her article.

Biden's visit to Ukraine came as a surprise.

It was the first solo trip to a war zone by an American first lady since Michelle Obama visited the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar in 2015.

1. After visiting the Slovak side of the border crossing at Vysne Nemecke
2. Biden crossed the border between Slovakia and Ukraine.
3. She spent nearly two hours in Ukraine
4.  visiting Ozhorod in the Zakarpatia region of the southwestern part of the country.

Since the beginning of the war, Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has been hiding with her children.

It was the first time Zelenska had appeared in public since the conflict began.

Biden and Zelenska met at a school converted into a shelter for Ukrainians displaced internally.

Zelenska exited a black SUV accompanied by a Ukrainian soldier. The two hugged when Biden gave her flowers.

• They then spent more than an hour in a small side room behind closed doors.

• Biden spoke briefly to the press during her visit, saying, "I wanted to come on Mother's Day. 

• We thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war must stop, and that this war was brutal.

• The people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine. "

"We feel it," Zelenska replied.

"First of all, I would like to thank you for this very courageous work," Zelenska continued. "Because we understand what it takes for the First American Lady to come here during the war when military action happens every day, where sirens go off every day until today."

"We all feel your support, and we all feel the leadership of the President of the United States, but we would like to note that Mother's Day is a very symbolic day for us because we also feel your love and support during such an important day."

According to US officials, Biden and Zelenska had previously met.

The first lady's trip to Ukraine was not mentioned in advance and was not included in Biden's general calendar. For the trip to Ukraine, the Biden parade was downsized, and many workers (as well as many traveling reporters) remained in Slovakia.