Ukraine war: Blinken makes surprise visit to Kyiv offers US$2B military aid, Zelensky claims his forces recaptured towns
- Blinken’s unscheduled visit to Kyiv came as the US announced major new military aid worth US$2 billion for Ukraine and other European countries
- Zelensky said he received news his forces liberated a slew of settlements recapturing around 400 square kms of ground in Kharkiv in a counteroffensive
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unscheduled visit to Kyiv on Thursday as the Biden administration announced major new military aid worth more than US$2 billion for Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia.
In meetings with senior Ukrainian officials, Blinken said the Biden administration would provide US$2 billion in long-term foreign military financing to Ukraine and 18 of its neighbours, including Nato members and regional security partners “most potentially at risk for future Russian aggression.”
That is on top of a US$675 million package of heavy weaponry, ammunition and armoured vehicles for Ukraine alone that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced earlier on Thursday at a conference in Ramstein, Germany. That package includes howitzers, artillery munitions, Humvees, armoured ambulances, anti-tank systems and more.
Austin said that “the war is at another key moment,” with Ukrainian forces beginning their counteroffensive in the south of the country. He said that “now we’re seeing the demonstrable success of our common efforts on the battlefield.”
Thursday’s contributions bring total US aid to Ukraine to US$15.2 billion since Biden took office. US officials said the new commitments were intended to show that American support for the country in the face of Russia’s invasion is unwavering.
The announcements came as fighting between Ukraine and Russia has intensified in recent days, with Ukrainian forces mounting a counteroffensive to retake Russian-held areas in the south and east.