Ukraine: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Kyiv in an unexpected diplomatic visit to stress US support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian forces that have established a new front line in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
This month’s $61 billion military aid package for the nation was approved by Congress after much delay, and there are worries that the US leadership has been busy with Israel’s Gaza conflict. This is the first visit by a senior US official since then.
According to a US official who briefed reporters travelling with Blinken on condition of anonymity, Blinken, who arrived in Kyiv early on Tuesday morning, planned to “send a strong signal of reassurance to the Ukrainians who are obviously in a very difficult moment.”
According to a statement from the State Department, Blinken will meet with senior Ukrainian officials and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “to discuss battlefield updates, the impact of new US security and economic assistance, long-term security and other commitments, and ongoing work to bolster Ukraine’s economic recovery.”
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, this is his fourth trip there. September of last year was the last time he was in the nation.
In an attempt to exploit Ukraine’s deficiencies in men and munitions, Russia has resumed its drive in the Kharkiv region and along the eastern front line at the same time as Blinken’s arrival.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated on Monday that Washington was attempting to undo the damage caused by Congress delaying the aid package for months by quickening “the tempo of the deliveries” of weaponry to Ukraine.
According to the US official accompanying Blinken, artillery, air defence interceptors, and long-range ballistic missiles have already been supplied, some of them to the front lines.
Roughly 18 percent of Ukraine is under Russian occupation. On Friday, it began a fresh onslaught in the Kharkiv area, causing thousands of people to flee.
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