US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in kyiv after traveling overnight by train from Poland.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in kyiv on a surprise diplomatic visit designed to underscore US support for Ukraine in its fight to push back Russian troops who have opened a new front line in the region. northeast of Kharkiv.
The trip is the first by a senior U.S. official since Congress approved a long-delayed $61 billion military aid package for the country last month, and amid concerns that the U.S. government has been preoccupied for Israel's war against Gaza.
Blinken, who arrived in kyiv by train early Tuesday morning, hoped to “send a strong signal of reassurance to Ukrainians who are obviously in a very difficult time,” said a U.S. official who briefed reporters traveling with Blinken. on condition of anonymity.
Blinken will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior Ukrainian officials “to discuss battlefield updates, the impact of new US economic and security assistance, long-term security and other commitments, and work underway to boost Ukraine's economic recovery,” the State Department said. in a sentence.
It is his fourth visit to kyiv since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022. He was last in the country in September last year.
Blinken's arrival coincides with a renewed Russian push in the Kharkiv region and on the eastern front line, as it seeks to take advantage of Ukraine's weaknesses in ammunition and manpower.
On Monday, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington was trying to accelerate “the pace of deliveries” of weapons to Ukraine and reverse the disadvantage that resulted from Congress sitting on the arms package. helps for months.
“The delay put Ukraine in a hole and we are trying to help them get out of that hole as quickly as possible,” Sullivan said, adding that a new arms package was to be announced this week.
Artillery, air defense interceptors and long-range ballistic missiles have already been delivered, some of them to the front, said the US official traveling with Blinken.
Russia occupies about 18 percent of Ukraine.
On Friday it launched a new offensive in the Kharkiv region, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.
