U.S. to reopen Kyiv embassy soon, says Russia has failed in war aims
THE United States promised yesterday to reopen its embassy in Kyiv soon, as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine’s capital and hailed its success so far against Russia’s invasion.
Both men said the fact they were able to come to Kyiv was proof of Ukraine’s tenacity in forcing Moscow to abandon an assault on the capital last month and promised more aid to fend off Russian troops now attempting an advance in the east.
“What you’ve done in repelling the Russians in the battle of Kyiv is extraordinary and inspiring quite frankly to the rest of the world,” Austin told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a meeting overnight, after a train journey from Poland. “We are here to support you in any way possible.”
Said Blinken: “The reason we’re back is because of you, because of the extraordinary courage, leadership and success that you’ve had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression.”
U.S. officials said they pledged new assistance worth $713 million for Zelenskiy’s government and other countries in the region. An extra $322 million in military aid for Ukraine would take total U.S. security assistance since the invasion to about $3.7 billion, one official said.
“It will provide support for capabilities Ukraine needs, especially the fight in the Donbas,” the official said. It would also help Ukraine’s armed forces transition to more advanced weapons and air defence systems - essentially NATO capable systems, the official added on condition of anonymity.
Western arms for Ukraine have infuriated Moscow. Russia’s ambassador in
Washington said Moscow had sent a diplomatic note stressing “the unacceptability of this situation when the United States of America pours weapons into Ukraine, and we demanded an end to this practice.”
The meeting between the U.S. delegation and Ukraine’s leaders ran for three hours, or more than double the allotted time, a U.S. official said.
“In terms of Russia’s war aims, Russia has already failed and Ukraine has already succeeded,” Blinken told a briefing in Poland after the two officials returned. – REUTERS.