U.S. State Secretary Blinken arrives in Kyiv on reassurance tour
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U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on May 14 for his first visit to the Ukrainian capital since the U.S. Congress passed a long-awaited aid bill for Ukraine last month, Reuters reported.
U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on May 14 for his first visit to the Ukrainian capital since the U.S. Congress passed a long-awaited aid bill for Ukraine last month, Reuters reported.
The purpose of the previously undisclosed trip is to demonstrate U.S. solidarity with Ukraine.
Blinken, who arrived in Kyiv by train early in the morning, hopes to "send a strong signal of reassurance to Ukrainians."
"The Secretary's mission here is really to talk about how our supplemental assistance is going to be executed in a fashion to help shore up their defenses (and) enable them to increasingly take back the initiative on the battlefield," another U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.
Artillery, long-range ATACMS missiles, and anti-aircraft missiles approved by President Joe Biden on April 24 have already been transferred to the Ukrainian military, he said.
Blinken will vow the unwavering support of the United States to Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and deliver a speech dedicated to Ukraine’s future.
U.S. aid to Ukraine
Read also: Ukraine needs a long-term, stand-alone US military aid bill — opinion
After months of delay, the U.S. House of Representatives finally passed a bill providing over $60 billion in support for Ukraine on April 20.
The U.S. Senate also passed the Ukraine aid bill on April 24.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed the bill the same day, adding that deliveries would begin "immediately, within hours."
The aid package includes ammunition for air defense systems, artillery, missile systems, and armored vehicles, he added
The new aid package for Ukraine should last until the end of 2024, the White House stated.
The U.S. had secretly sent over 100 long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine in March, The New York Times reported.
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