Zelensky meets Blinken, Austin in first high-level US visit to Ukraine

US secretary of State Antony J Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday. The first senior US official who have visited Ukraine since Russia launched its military operation in Kyiv on February 24.

An adviser to President Zelensky confirmed the news during an interview with a Russian lawyer and activist on YouTube. The US top diplomat and top defence official arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, The New York Times reported.

The US government has always backed Ukraine with financial aid and weapons and also helped in leading the international campaign of sanctions against Russia.

US officials did not announce their visit but it was Zelenskyy who revealed it in his speech on Saturday, saying that he would use this meeting to discuss the “military assistance we need.”

Over the following weeks, they were followed by leaders of Britain, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Estonia, Spain and Denmark.

Security concerns and contested airspace have still required leaders to make long journeys to reach Kyiv.

The White House had ruled out sending Biden, citing not only the risk but Biden’s enormous security requirements. Senior cabinet officials such as Blinken and Austin travel with smaller entourages, according to The New York Times.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the US authorized new military assistance worth USD 800 million for Ukraine.
Notably, Russia launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24, which the West has termed an unprovoked war. As a result of this, the Western countries have also imposed several crippling sanctions on Moscow.