CLOSE TO THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER (AP) – After a secret visit to Kyiv, US Secretary of State Blinken said Russia was failing in its military goals and “Ukraine is succeeding”.
The trip by Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was the highest US visit to the capital since Russia’s invasion in late February.
They told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his advisers that the United States would provide more than $ 300 million in foreign military funding and approved the sale of $ 165 million worth of ammunition.
“We had the opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong continued support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people. “It was, in our opinion, an important moment to be there to have detailed face-to-face talks,” Blinken told reporters Monday near the Polish-Ukrainian border.
Austin said Zelensky’s response to the aid was a deep appreciation for what had been provided, but “he has an attitude that they want to win, and we think we want to help them win.”
In footage published later by the Ukrainian presidency of the meeting, Blinken praised “the extraordinary courage, leadership and success you have had in repelling this horrific Russian aggression.”
“We’re used to seeing you on video all over the world, but it’s great, it’s nice to see you in person,” Blinken said with a smile.
Blinken also said US diplomats returning to Ukraine are likely to re-hire staff at the Lviv consulate in western Ukraine before returning to the capital, Kyiv. Earlier, they said diplomats would begin returning this week. The US Embassy in Kyiv will remain closed for the time being.
Austin told a news conference that “the world is inspired” by Ukraine in the war and that America will continue to support it. “What you did to repel the Russians in the battle of Kyiv is extraordinary,” he said.
Zelensky announced on Saturday that he would meet with US officials in Kyiv on Sunday, but the Biden administration declined to confirm this and declined to discuss details of a possible visit, although planning has been under way for more than a week.
Journalists traveling with Austin and Blinken to Poland were barred from reporting on the trip to the end, were not allowed to accompany them on their land trip to Ukraine, and were barred from specifying where members of Southeast Poland were waiting. cabinet to return. State Department and Pentagon officials cited security concerns.
Austin and Blinken announced a total of $ 713 million in foreign military funding for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; about $ 322 million is earmarked for Kyiv. The rest will be divided between NATO members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with important military supplies since the start of the war with Russia, officials said.
Such funding is different from previous US military aid to Ukraine. This is not a donation of depleted US Department of Defense stocks, but rather cash that countries can use to buy supplies they may need.
The new money, along with the sale of $ 165 million in non-US munitions compatible with Soviet-era weapons used by Ukrainians, has raised US military aid to Ukraine to $ 3.7 billion since the invasion, officials said.
Zelenski urged Americans not to come empty-handed. U.S. officials have said they believe the new aid will satisfy at least some of Ukraine’s urgent requests for more aid. New artillery, including howitzers, continues to be delivered at a rapid pace to the Ukrainian military, which is being trained to use it in neighboring countries, officials said.
On the diplomatic front, Blinken told Zelensky that Biden would announce his nomination for veteran diplomat Bridget Brink as the next US ambassador to Ukraine. A career employee in foreign services, Brink has been working as an ambassador to Slovakia since 2019. She has previously worked in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan, as well as in the White House National Security Council. The publication requires confirmation from the Senate.
Blinken also told Ukraine’s foreign minister that small staff from the now-closed US embassy in Kyiv, which has moved to Poland from temporary offices in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, will begin day trips to Lviv in the coming days. Officials said the United States has speeded up a review of security conditions in the capital and that the State Department will reopen the embassy there as soon as the situation allows.
Biden has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of genocide over the destruction and death of Ukraine. On Thursday, Biden said he would provide a new $ 800 million package of military aid to Ukraine, which includes heavy artillery and drones.
Congress approved $ 6.5 billion in military aid last month as part of $ 13.6 billion in spending on Ukraine and its allies in response to the Russian invasion.
From Poland, Blinken plans to return to Washington, while Austin will travel to Rammstein, Germany, for a meeting Tuesday with NATO defense ministers and other donor countries.
The discussion will look at updates on the battlefield from the ground, additional security aid for Ukraine and long-term defense needs in Europe, including how to step up military production to fill the gaps caused by the war in Ukraine, officials said. More than 20 countries are expected to send representatives to the meeting.
The participating Ukrainian officials were Zelensky, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov, Ambassador Oskana Markarova, Presidential Administration Chief Andriy Ermak, Defense Chief Valery Zaluzhny and Andriy Sibiya from Zelensky’s cabinet.
Representatives of the United States in addition to Blinken and Austin were Deputy Chief of Staff Tom Sullivan, Senior Military Assistant Lt. Gen. Randy George, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper.
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