Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid an unannounced visit to Kyiv to speak with Ukrainian leaders about the status of the counteroffensive being conducted by the Ukrainian military as well as measures being made to recover and rebuild.
Blinken will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, according to the State Department.
Additionally, more than $1 billion in fresh American assistance for Ukraine was anticipated from Blinken.
According to a senior State Department official, the United States will keep working to ensure that the Ukrainian military gets the supplies it needs for this phase of its resistance to the Russian invasion. The person stated that this includes equipment for airstrikes and breaching Russian defenses, while air defense “continues to be a high priority.”
Although the United States has its own perspective on the situation, the source emphasized the need for “a real assessment from the Ukrainians themselves.”
Prior to the U.N. General Assembly gathering this month, the official again emphasized the significance of consulting with Ukrainian authorities.
The Ukrainians have a crucial task in New York: they must keep explaining what is happening and their ongoing need for support to their allies and partners around the globe. And it’s critical that we keep directing the international effort to support them, the official said.
In order to remember the deceased Ukrainian servicemen, Blinken took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Berkovetske cemetery.
Blinken met with Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark, en route to Kyiv to discuss the conflict there. Blinken, according to the State Department, commended Denmark for its decision to supply F-16 aircraft to Ukraine and its initiatives to educate Ukrainian pilots.
