The U.S Secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has arrived in Kyiv for a two-day unannounced visit.
The trip to Ukraine is Blinken’s fourth since the war began, including one very brief excursion over the Polish-Ukrainian border in March 2022, just a month after the Russian invasion.
However, it will mark the first time America’s top diplomat will spend the night in Ukraine’s capital since he visited Kyiv in January 2022, before the invasion.
According to U.S. officials, Blinken’s decision to stay overnight in Kyiv is intended to send a symbolic signal of American support for Ukraine.
During his two-day visit, Blinken is expected to announce a new package of US assistance of $175m-$200, with a larger package worth a total of more than $1bn expected later this week, according to a senior state department official.
Blinken will also meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, and the President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Shared priorities will be discussed with the state of Ukraine’s counter-offensive high on the agenda, a senior U.S. State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, briefed reporters ahead of the trip.
U.S media have frequently quoted U.S officials criticising the counteroffensive as too slow and poorly planned, which has irritated Ukrainian officials.
An official disclosed that Blinken wanted to get a first-hand assessment of the counteroffensive and what kind of support is required in the current phase of the battle during the trip.
“What’s most important is that we get a real assessment from the Ukrainians themselves,” the official said.
“We want to see, hear how they intend to push forward in the coming weeks,” the official added.
Possible alternative export routes for Ukrainian grain, following Russia’s exit from the Black Sea Grain Deal, will also be discussed.
Those alternative routes may include new overland routes, or ships hugging coastlines to keep out of international waters where they could be targeted by Russia’s navy.
Other issues, including support for Ukraine’s war-torn economy will be discussed, building on Blinken’s June announcement in London of $1.3 billion in aid to help Kyiv rebuild, with a focus on modernizing its energy network that was bombarded by Russia last winter.
It was disclosed that on his journey by train to Kyiv, Blinken met Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, who is also on an official visit, to discuss the war.
Blinken thanked her for Denmark’s leadership in a coalition training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and for promising to donate the fighter jets to Ukraine, State department spokesperson, Matthew Miller said.
Blinken Lays Wreath At Berkovetske Cemetery
After arriving in Kyiv, Blinken laid a wreath at the city’s Berkovetske cemetery to commemorate members of the Ukrainian armed forces who lost their lives defending the country.
“We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, not only to succeed in the counteroffensive but has what it needs for the long-term, to make sure that it has a strong deterrent,” Blinken said during the visit.
“We’re also determined to continue to work with our partners as they build and rebuild a strong economy, strong democracy,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, in a conference call with reporters, said that U.S. assistance to Ukraine “can’t influence the course of the special military operation.”
Peskov noted that Moscow believes Washington planned to continue funding Ukraine’s military “to wage this war to the last Ukrainian.”
