US Secretary of State arrives in Kyiv to send strong message of reassurance to Ukrainians – Reuters

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Kyiv by train on Tuesday morning. 

Source: Reuters 

Details: This is the first visit by a senior US official to Ukraine since Congress passed a long-awaited US$61 billion military aid package for Ukraine last month. 

The visit is intended to demonstrate US solidarity with Ukraine as it tries to repel massive Russian bombardment on its north-eastern border. 

Blinken hopes to "send a strong signal of reassurance to the Ukrainians who are obviously in a very difficult moment," said a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to reporters travelling with Blinken. 

Quote from the official: "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 defences (and) enable them to increasingly take back the initiative on the battlefield." 

More details: Artillery, long-range missiles and air defence missiles approved by President Joe Biden on 24 April are on their way to Ukrainian forces, an official says. 

Blinken will reassure Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of continued US support and deliver a speech focused on Ukraine's future, the official said. 

Background: 

• Politico reported that Blinken would be travelling to Kyiv this week. The exact itinerary was not known to the publication, but one source said that Kyiv's roads would be closed by security forces for some time on Tuesday and Wednesday.
• On Sunday, Blinken commented on the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast. He said that there was no doubt that the months-long delay in approving additional funding and sending weapons to Ukraine from the US "had a cost".
• Earlier, the White House said that Russian forces would continue to advance in their new offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast but did not expect "major breakthroughs".

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