Vice President Joe Biden landed in Afghanistan Monday on a previously unannounced visit to meet with U.S. and Afghan officials in preparation for U.S. troop withdrawal from the country later this year, the White House said.

According to a pool reporter with Biden in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, head commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Karl Eikenberry, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, are both on his schedule Monday night.

"The primary purpose of the trip is to assess progress towards the transition to Afghan-led security beginning in 2011, and to demonstrate our commitment to a long-term partnership with Afghanistan," a White House official said.

Biden is also slated to have lunch with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday, followed by a meeting of officials from both nations. 

President Obama was scheduled to meet with Karzai during his trip to Afghanistan last month, but, according to the White House, bad weather prevented his travel to Kabul. Now, a senior official traveling with Biden says the U.S. and Afghanistan are "very much on the same page" after recent meetings.

This is Biden's first trip to Afghanistan as Vice President. Biden's last visit was in January 2009 as Vice President-elect. (Fox News)