Ukraine war: Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin to meet Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday
- ‘Tomorrow people from the US are coming, I will meet the defence minister and the secretary of state, Mr Blinken,’ the Ukrainian president said
- Zelensky has also called for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding he was ‘not afraid’ to meet the Russian leader
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin would visit Kyiv on Sunday, in what would be a risky show of support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion.
“Tomorrow people from the US are coming, I will meet the defence minister and the secretary of state, Mr Blinken,” Zelensky said in a news conference. “I think we will be waiting when security will allow the president of the US to come and support Ukraine’s people.”
It was not clear if Zelensky’s disclosure was cleared with the Biden administration or if it would affect any travel plans. The White House National Security Council declined to comment and the State Department did not immediately comment.
The US government typically does not announce trips to active combat zones by senior officials until they are already on the ground or departing the area.
Ukrainian officials on Saturday accused Russia of thwarting a fresh attempt to evacuate civilians from Mariupol and killing six people in a strike on Odesa, all but burying hopes of a truce for Orthodox Easter.
With the war poised to enter its third month on Sunday, Ukrainian authorities said “fierce battles” were raging in the east and the United Nations said nearly 5.2 million people had fled the country.
Zelensky called for a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “to end the war”, which began with a full-scale Russian invasion on February 24.
