BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AP
KYIV, Ukraine — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kiev on an undisclosed diplomatic mission Tuesday to assure Ukraine that it has U.S. support as it fights growing Russian aggression.
The visit comes less than a month after Congress approved a long-delayed foreign aid package allocating $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, much of which will be used to replenish its severely depleted artillery and air defense systems. no see.
On his fourth visit to Kiev since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Blinken will emphasize the Biden administration's commitment to Ukraine's defense and long-term security, U.S. officials said. They pointed out that the administration has already announced $1.4 billion in short-term military assistance and $6 billion in long-term assistance since President Joe Biden signed the aid package into law late last month.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States was “really trying to accelerate” the pace of arms exports to Ukraine.
“What I would suggest is that the level of intensity that is being shown right now in terms of moving things around is a 10 out of 10,” Sullivan told reporters at a White House briefing on Monday.
Artillery, air defense interceptors and long-range ballistic missiles have already been delivered and some of them have already been deployed to the front lines, said a senior U.S. official who is traveling with the secretary on an overnight train from Poland.
“It will send a strong signal of reassurance” to the Ukrainian leaders and civil society figures he will meet during his two-day visit, Blinken told reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of Blinken’s meeting.
In a statement released after Blinken's arrival, the State Department said he would meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior Ukrainian officials to “discuss battlefield updates, the impact of new U.S. security and economic assistance, long-term security and other commitments, and ongoing commitments.” “He said. “We will work to strengthen Ukraine’s economic recovery.”
The delay in U.S. support has sparked deep concern in Kiev and Europe, especially after the war between Israel and Hamas began to preoccupy top administration officials. For example, Blinken has visited the Middle East seven times since the Gaza conflict began in October. His last trip to Kiev was in September.
The U.S. official added that Blinken will deliver a speech later Tuesday praising Ukraine's “strategic successes” in the war. This was intended to complement Blinken's speech in Helsinki, Finland last year, in which Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Moscow's strategic failure in starting the war.
But after the Helsinki speech, Russia stepped up its attacks, most notably forcing the U.S. House of Representatives to sit on the aid package for months without action and stop providing most U.S. aid. Such attacks have increased in recent weeks as Russia seeks to take advantage of Ukraine's manpower and weapons shortages while new aid is being transported.
Senior Biden administration officials and Ukrainian national security officials spoke by phone Monday about “the situation on the front lines, the capabilities they need most, and the actual triage efforts. 'Get this done quickly so we can effectively defend against a Russian attack,'” Sullivan said. “You can be in that position,” he said.
Prime Minister Zelenskyy said over the weekend that “intense fighting” was taking place near Ukraine's eastern and northeastern borders as outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian soldiers tried to stop a massive Russian ground offensive.
Kremlin forces are aiming to exploit Ukraine's weaknesses before the United States and its European partners arrive on the battlefield with new, massive military support for Kiev in the coming weeks and months, Ukrainian commanders and analysts said. This makes this period a window of opportunity for Moscow and one of the most dangerous periods for Kiev in the two years of war, they say.
Russia's new offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region and its advance into the eastern Donetsk region comes after months in which the roughly 1,000 km (620 miles) front was largely motionless. Meanwhile, both sides have primarily used long-range attacks that have developed into a war of attrition.
A senior U.S. official said Ukraine could still score significant victories despite some recent setbacks. This includes regaining about 50% of the territory occupied by Russian forces at the beginning of the war, strengthening its economic position, and improving transport and trade links, particularly through military successes in the Black Sea.
The official acknowledged that Ukraine faces an “uphill battle” and is “under tremendous pressure,” but insisted that Ukrainians will “become increasingly confident” as new U.S. and Western support begins to surge. I did.
Blinken said Sunday that there was no doubt that months-long delays in aid had caused problems, but that “we are doing everything we can to expedite the aid.”
“It’s a difficult moment,” he told CBS. face the country. “We are not going anywhere. There are more than 50 countries that support Ukraine. This will continue. If President Putin thinks he can outlast Ukraine's supporters, his thinking is out of the question. “I did.”