Sept. 6 (UPI) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Wednesday in a show of support for Ukraine in the middle of their slow-moving counter-offensive to retake land from Russia.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Blinken will meet with senior Ukrainian officials over two days to reiterate the United States’ commitment to Ukraine as they continue to root out the Russian military from previously captured territory.
“We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, not only to succeed in the counter-offensive but has what it needs for the long term, to make sure that it has a strong deterrent,” Blinken said at his meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at the ministry in Kyiv.
“We’re also determined to continue to work with our partners as they build and rebuild a strong economy, strong democracy.”
The secretary’s delegation departed the Washington area late Monday night and landed in Poland on Tuesday. He traveled at night by train, reaching Kyiv on Wednesday morning.
Miller said Blinken’s travel plans remained under wraps because of “ongoing security concerns created by the active conflict.”
Miller said Blinken will address Ukraine’s energy, security, and humanitarian needs, and “make announcements about how the United States can continue supporting Ukraine in these areas.”
Miller added that Blinken is expected to announce “more than a billion dollars in new U.S. funding for Ukraine.”
The visit comes as Congress weighs a Biden administration request for an additional $24 billion in aid for Ukraine, as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has vowed not to provide a “blank check” for spending to support Kyiv.
In response to the trip, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the United States of prolonging the war through its financial support of Ukraine.
“We have repeatedly heard statements that they are going to continue to help Kyiv as long as it takes,” Peskov said. “In other words, they are going to continue to keep Ukraine in a state of war and to wage this war to the last Ukrainian, sparing no expense.”
