Blinken shares pizza with Ukrainian counterpart in Kyiv visit

Antony Blinken and Dmytro Kuleba split a meat and a vegetarian pizza at the eatery (Handout)
Antony Blinken and Dmytro Kuleba split a meat and a vegetarian pizza at the eatery (Handout)
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave a ringing endorsement to a popular Ukrainian pizzeria founded by a war veteran during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday.

Alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the top American diplomat grabbed a slice from "Veterano Pizza", a military-themed establishment that features a glass tabletop with empty bullet casings.

"As somewhat of a knowledgeable person about pizza -- as most Americans are -- the pizza here is superb. I highly, highly recommend it," Blinken said.

The pair split a meat pizza -- called "Ukrainian pizza" by the restaurant -- and a vegetarian one.

Last September Blinken and Kuleba shared a portion of fries at McDonald's after it resumed work in Kyiv. But Kuleba said this time round he had insisted on a Ukrainian restaurant.

"Some people criticised me on social media that I took you to McDonald's, not to Ukrainian place. So now we are correcting this," he told reporters.

Blinken was in the Ukrainian capital on a surprise visit weeks after Washington approved a $61 billion package of aid for Kyiv.

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