Amid the raging Russia-Ukraine war, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv to reassure its support for military aid. His visit comes at a time when Russian troops are advancing in Ukraine's northern Kharkiv region.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked for more air defence systems to protect civilians under Russian fire in the northeast.
Blinken assured Zelenskyy that more US aid is on the way. "We know this is a challenging time....but military aid is going to make a real difference against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield," said Blinken.
This is Blinken's fourth visit to Ukraine, which gains significance as Congress recently approved a long-delayed foreign assistance package that sets aside $60 billion in aid.
"Some of the aid is now on the way," said Blinken in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy thanked Blinken for the aid, including two Patriot air defence systems, that would help them in the battle.
"The people are under attack: civilians, warriors, everybody. They're under Russian missiles," he said.
According to authorities, over 7,500 civilians have been evacuated from the northern border regions of Ukraine including Sumy and Chernihiv as Kremlin forces are advancing.
Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said that troops fought street to street on the outskirts of Vovchansk, which is among the largest towns in the Kharkiv area. Two civilians were killed in the shelling, he added.
The UN human rights also expressed deep concerns about the plight of civilians in the war-affected regions.
Artillery, air defence interceptors and long-range ballistic missiles have already been delivered, some of them already to the front lines, said a senior US official travelling with the secretary.
US officials noted that since President Joe Biden signed the aid package late last month, the administration has already announced USD 1.4 billion in short-term military assistance and USD 6 billion in longer-term support.
But delays in US assistance, particularly since the Israel-Hamas war began and has preoccupied top administration officials, have triggered deep concerns in Kyiv and Europe.
A strong, successful, thriving, free Ukraine is the best possible rebuke to Putin and the best possible guarantor for your future, Blinken told Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
