U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Kyiv Tuesday to discuss with Ukrainian leaders the state of the Ukrainian military’s counteroffensive as well as recovery and reconstruction efforts.
The State Department said Blinken would meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Blinken was also expected to announce more than $1 billion in new U.S. funding for Ukraine.
A senior State Department official told reporters that the U.S. support will continue efforts to ensure the Ukrainian military has what it needs for this stage of its fight against the Russian invasion. That includes materiel for airstrikes and breaking through Russian lines, the official said, while air defense “continues to be a high priority.”
The official said that while the United States has its own view of the conflict, it is important to get “a real assessment from the Ukrainians themselves.”
The official also highlighted the importance of consulting with Ukrainian leaders ahead of this month’s U.N. General Assembly meeting.
“The Ukrainians have an important mission in New York to continue to explain, to their allies and partners around the world, what’s going on and their continued need for support. And it’s important for us to continue to lead that global effort to support them,” the official said.
Blinken took part in a wreath-laying at Berkovetske cemetery to honor fallen Ukrainian service members.
On his way to Kyiv, Blinken met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen for talks that included the war in Ukraine. The State Department said Blinken thanked Denmark for its decision to send F-16 jets to Ukraine and its efforts to train Ukrainian pilots.
Russian attacks
Ukrainian officials said Wednesday a Russia drone attack on a port area in the Odesa region killed one person.
Oleh Kiper, the regional governor, said on Telegram the Russian attack lasted for three hours and damaged agricultural infrastructure at the Danube river port of Izmail.
Russia also targeted Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, with a missile attack early Wednesday.
Serhiy Popko, the head of the city’s military administration, said on Telegram that air defenses shot down all of the missiles and that there were no reports of damage or casualties.
The Ukrainian military reported Wednesday it destroyed all seven cruise missiles and a ballistic missile that Russia used to attack Ukraine, while also downing 15 of 25 Russian drones.
Russia’s defense ministry said its air defenses destroyed a Ukrainian drone late Tuesday over the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine. The regional governor in Bryansk said there were no casualties reported.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Source: voanews.com
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