U.S Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has announced that his country will provide Ukraine an additional $2bn in foreign military financing, aimed at investing in Ukraine’s industrial base.
The aid was announced at a joint media conference in Kyiv alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba.
It came after Washington already approved a $61bn package of aid for the country following months of delays in Congress.
Blinken said that the US is rushing ammunition, armoured vehicles, missiles and air defences to Ukraine to ensure their speedy delivery to the front line.
Blinken also said that the US does not encourage Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia with US-supplied weapons but believes it is a decision Kyiv should make for itself.
He disclosed that the US could sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine within weeks, and that the “heavy lifting” on the deal had already been done.
He stated that U.S President, Joe Biden could meet Zelenskyy in the coming weeks.
Furthermore, Blinken said that Washington strongly supported a planned Ukrainian peace summit in Switzerland set for next month and would be “robustly represented” there.
He asserted that the U.S will continue to levy sanctions against enterprises involved in China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
He noted that the U.S was “deeply concerned” about China’s support for Russia’s defence industry.
Russia Calls Blinken’s Kyiv Visit A Sign Of US Alarm Over Front-Line Situation
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Blinken’s visit to Kyiv looked like a sign of Washington’s growing alarm over the front-line situation and what it called Ukrainian military failures.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Maria Zakharova told a news briefing in Moscow that US military help to Kyiv would not help the country’s political leadership survive.
“The U.S Secretary of State is visiting Ukraine from 14-15 May. It is obvious that the situation on the front and the military failures of the Ukrainian armed forces are causing increasing alarm in the Biden administration,” Zakharova said.
“No amount of armaments will save Zelenskyy’s criminal regime from collapse. All military equipment supplied to Ukraine will be destroyed,” she added.
In addition, Zakharova said that Moscow would consider any foreign mercenaries and foreign weapons sent to Ukraine to be legitimate military targets.
This was in a seeming response to reports this week that NATO member Estonia is weighing whether to send troops to Ukraine. Similar proposals have been floated by other European countries, including France.
Zakharova also called remarks by UK Foreign Secretary, David Cameron that Ukraine could deploy British weapons in attacks on Russian territory “absolutely crazy”, anti-Russian and aggressive.
During a visit to Kyiv on May 3, 2024, Cameron, told a news agency that Ukraine had a right to use the weapons provided by the UK to strike targets inside Russia and that it was up to Kyiv whether or not to do so.
His comment prompted Moscow to warn London that it could hit back at British military installations and equipment both inside Ukraine and elsewhere if British weapons were used by Ukraine to strike Russia.
Finally, Zakharova said that continued attacks by Ukraine on civilians in Russia’s Belgorod region were a demonstration of the “criminality” of Kyiv and the Western powers which back it.
“All those responsible for the attacks will be punished,” she said.
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