New Delhi: Following a secrecy-shrouded visit to Ukrain’s capital Kyiv, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said that Russia is falling in its war aims and “Ukraine is succeeding,” reported news agency The Associated Press.
On their trip — the highest level American visit to Kyiv after Russia’s invasion in February — Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his advisors that Washington D.C. would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had also approved a $165 million sale of ammunition.
“We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people. This was, in our judgement, an important moment to be there to have face-to-face conversations in detail,” Blinken told reporters Monday near the Polish-Ukrainian border, quoted by AP.
Blinken praised the “extraordinary courage and leadership and success that you’ve had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression.” “We got used to seeing you on video around the world, but it’s great, it’s good to see you in person,” Blinken said with a smile, reported the news agency.
Blinken further said that the US diplomats would start returning this week and would likely restaff the consulate in western Ukrainian city of Lviv before returning to capital Kyiv. The US Embassy in Kyiv will remain closed for the moment.
On Saturday, Zelenskyy had announced that he would meet with the US officials in Kyiv on Sunday, but the Biden administration refused to confirm that and declined to discuss details of a possible visit even though planning had been underway for more than a week.
The trip was carried out in heavy secrecy as reporters who travelled with Austin and Blinken were barred from reporting about the trip until it concluded, and were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey to Ukraine. Additionally, they were prohibited from revealing where in southeast Poland did they wait for the Cabinet members to return.