US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Kyiv after travelling in a single day by prepare from Poland.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Kyiv in a shock diplomatic go to designed to underline america’s assist for Ukraine because it battles to push again Russian troops who’ve opened a brand new entrance line within the northeastern Kharkiv area.
The journey is the primary by a senior US official since Congress handed a long-delayed $61bn army support package deal for the nation final month, and amid considerations that the US authorities has been preoccupied with Israel’s struggle on Gaza.
Blinken, who arrived in Kyiv by prepare early on Tuesday morning, hoped to “ship a robust sign of reassurance to the Ukrainians who’re clearly in a really troublesome second”, stated a US official who briefed reporters travelling with Blinken on situation of anonymity.
Blinken will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and different senior Ukrainian officers “to debate battlefield updates, the impression of latest US safety and financial help, long-term safety and different commitments, and ongoing work to bolster Ukraine’s financial restoration,” the State Division stated in an announcement.
It’s his fourth go to to Kyiv since Russia started its full-scale invasion in February 2022. He was final within the nation in September final yr.
Blinken’s arrival coincides with a renewed Russian push within the Kharkiv area and on the jap entrance line because it seeks to benefit from Ukraine’s weaknesses in munitions and manpower.
On Monday, US Nationwide Safety Adviser Jake Sullivan stated Washington was attempting to speed up “the tempo of the deliveries” of weapons to Ukraine and reverse the drawback that resulted from Congress sitting on the help package deal for months.
“The delay put Ukraine in a gap and we’re attempting to assist them dig out of that gap as quickly as doable,” Sullivan stated, including {that a} new package deal of weapons was going to be introduced this week.
Artillery, air defence interceptors and long-range ballistic missiles have already been delivered, a few of them to the entrance strains, stated the US official travelling with Blinken.
Russia occupies about 18 p.c of Ukraine.
It launched a brand new offensive within the Kharkiv area on Friday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of individuals.
