Unannounced trip by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Kiev. There are many topics that are discussed. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also visited the Ukrainian capital, two weeks after promising F-16s to Zelensky
During a symbolic dinner of McDonald’s French fries in Kiev, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed to his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba the United States’ full and continued support for Ukraine.
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The latest aid package – the equivalent of more than a billion euros – ranges from weapons, including ammunition with depleted uranium, to financing infrastructure. Washington remains committed to long-term aid, said Blinken.
“This is a battle we must win and we will win. And my message today on behalf of President Biden and the United States to the people of Ukraine is that we have stood with you over the last few years to ensure the survival of your nation.” 20 months – said Blinken – We will Stand with you as you decide your future and rebuild a free, resilient and prosperous Ukraine.”
During his visit, Blinken also met with President Volodomir Zelensky. US media had speculated that Blinken had raised concerns in the White House about the progress of Ukraine’s counteroffensive against the Russian invasion.
An unannounced visit
Train ride to Kiev for the US Secretary of State Antony Blinkenfor an unannounced visit to Kiev on Wednesday.
This is his fourth visit to the Ukrainian capital since the war began on February 24, 2022.
The visit came just hours after Russia’s first missile attack on Kiev in a week.
After arriving in Kiev, Blinken laid a wreath at the cemetery Berkovetskein memory of the members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who lost their lives defending the country.
Blinken’s “monitoring visit” – he first met with the Secretary of State Dmytro Kuleba – aims to assess the lower-than-expected Ukrainian counteroffensive with the possible announcement of new American military aid worth $175 million to $200 million.
Another larger military aid package is expected later this week.
The topics of discussion also include reflections on the concrete possibilities for success of a grain agreement without Russia and on the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war. On this issue, Blinken had already promised $1.3 billion in aid to rebuild Kiev in London in June, with particular attention to modernizing its energy grid, which was bombed by Russia last winter.
“I am here, first and foremost, to demonstrate our continued and resolute support for Ukraine as it confronts this aggression,” Blinken said.
“We have seen good progress on the counter-offensive, which is very encouraging. We want to ensure that Ukraine has not only what it needs to be successful in the counteroffensive, but also what it will need in the long term to ensure that it has a strong deterrence and defense capability, so that such attacks will no longer occur in the future.”
Blinken’s overnight stay
Blinken decided to spend the night in the Ukrainian capital, the first time since his visit to Kiev in January 2022, a few weeks before the Russian invasion.
US officials said Blinken’s decision to stay overnight in Kiev is intended to send a symbolic signal of American support for Ukraine.
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Blinken’s visit comes after some of Ukraine’s allies privately expressed concern that Ukrainian troops may not be able to achieve their objectives.
While the United States is concerned about some daily setbacks on the battlefield, by and large this is still the case, U.S. officials said optimistic about Ukraine’s military leadershipparticularly due to its air defense capabilities in shooting down Russian drones that were aimed at Kiev.
Blinken wants to get a sense of how the counteroffensive is progressing and what kind of support is needed in the current phase of the fight, including materiel to break through Russia’s thick defenses just as the winter season approaches. Air defense will also remain a priority, Blinken said.
New ways for grains?
News is leaking from Washington about possible alternative export routes for Ukrainian wheat, which are being discussed after Russia’s withdrawal from the “Black Sea Grain Initiative” and the frequent bombings of port facilities in the Odessa region, from where most grain is transported abroad .
Alternative routes could include ships skirting coasts to stay away from international waters, where they could be targeted by the Russian navy.
Other possible land routes are also being investigated.
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Frederiksen’s visit
The Danish Prime Minister also arrived in Kiev on Wednesday Mette Frederiksen.
He wanted to honor the memory of the soldiers who died in the war between Russia and Ukraine by taking a moment of reflection Wall of memory of the defenders of the Fatherlandon the walls of St. Michael’s Cathedral in Kiev.
The wall was inaugurated on the first anniversary of the Ilovaisk tragedy, August 29, 2014. It contains sections with photos of fallen soldiers from 2014 to the present.
Before the invasion of Russia there were 4,300 faces there. Now, say the wall’s organizers, they’re not counting the number of new photos…
The visit by Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen – who also addressed the Kyiv parliament – came just over two weeks after Copenhagen pledged to deliver F16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
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