Blinken visits Kyiv at a time of uncertainty in Ukraine war and US politics
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met with senior officials in Kyiv on Wednesday morning to discuss Ukraine’s war effort at a precarious moment in the country’s defense against Russian aggression.
The visit comes as the Biden administration is working to cut aid to Russia from China, Iran and North Korea, and as the US presidential election takes place against the backdrop of these conflicts.
Mr. Blinken stepped off a private overnight train from Poland. also brought along his British counterpart, David Lammy.The two men met throughout the day with military and civilian officials, including Ukraine’s new top diplomat, Andrii Sybiha, who was appointed by President Volodymyr Zelensky last Thursday as part of a major reshuffle of government leadership.
“It’s great to be back in Kyiv, even in these difficult times, perhaps especially difficult times,” Mr Blinken said as he and Mr Lammy sat across from Mr Sybiha at the State Department, next to a square lined with destroyed Russian tanks. “The UK and the United States stand together in support of Ukraine,” Mr Blinken added.
“We have a commitment to spend £3bn a year on Ukraine” until what he described as “Russian imperialism and aggression” ends, said Mr Lammy, who was making his first trip to Ukraine as British foreign secretary.
Officials from the three countries then began separate meetings with topics of discussion including military aid commitments and Ukraine’s repeated requests to use imported weapons for long-range strikes on Russia.
After the meeting at the ministry, Mr. Blinken visited a restaurant in Kyiv owned by Yevhen Klopotenko, a celebrity chef who helped convince UNESCO, the United Nations cultural agency, to put borscht on its menu. List of intangible cultural heritageMr. Blinken then went to the presidential palace to meet with Mr. Zelensky.
Mr. Blinken and Mr. Lammy’s joint visit was intended to demonstrate strong solidarity with Ukraine — a message to both Mr. Zelensky and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, as well as the rest of the world.
While both men have made comments in recent months that theoretically suggest they are open to talks to resolve the more than 30-month-long all-out war waged by Moscow, Putin’s vision of a rebuilt Russian empire is unacceptable to Ukraineand US officials say he has shown no signs of wanting to reach a peace deal. Mr Putin’s major invasion of Ukraine in 2022 is a follow-up to the annexation of Crimea and military offensive in eastern Ukraine that began in 2014.
Mr. Zelensky said last month that his multi-phase peace plan includes forcing Russia to end the war on “fair” terms with Ukraine.
The first debate between former President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris took place in the middle of the night during a train ride. Some passengers on Mr. Blinken’s train stayed up to watch at least the first part of the debate, after a few drinks, but most stayed online in the morning to read reviews of the televised event.
Officials in Ukraine are also certainly watching the debate: Mr. Trump, an admirer of Mr. Putin, has rallied a large number of Republican politicians to oppose U.S. military aid to Ukraine, while Ms. Harris has vowed to continue the Biden administration’s policies to support the embattled country.
In recent weeks, the Ukrainian army made a surprise attack on Russia’s Kursk region and held the captured territory, boosting morale in Ukraine. But that attack failed to divert Russian units from their fierce offensive in eastern Ukraine, where they continue to make small gains.
Mr. Blinken and Mr. Lammy are expected to hear pleas from Ukrainian officials for permission for the Ukrainian military to use American and British weapons to strike deep into Russian territory. In May, the Biden administration granted Ukraine permission to use American weapons for shorter-duration cross-border strikes on Russian sites used in the attack on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. U.S. officials have since given the Ukrainian military permission to carry out those shorter strikes at other locations along the border.
Mr Blinken said in an interview with Sky News on Tuesday that the Biden administration must take into account complex factors when making such decisions, but did not rule out the possibility of giving Ukraine more authority.
“We have adjusted and adapted every step of the way, and we will continue to — so it is not ruled out at this stage,” he said. “We do not rule out. We never rule out. But when we make a judgment, we want to make sure that it is done in a way that advances what the Ukrainians are trying to achieve.”
Mr Blinken and Mr Lammy told a news conference in London on Tuesday that Iran had transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, confirming earlier news report based on assessments by U.S. and European officials. They said they were coordinating action against Iran and Russia. The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday released details of the sanctions it imposed on 10 individuals and six entities, as well as four ships.
“This is certainly a significant escalation” by Iran, Mr. Lammy said. Iranian officials have denied they made any such shipments.
So far, Iran has mainly supplied drones to Russia, while North Korea has supplied artillery shells. The Biden administration says Chinese companies are selling machine tools and microelectronics to Russia to help it rebuild its weapons manufacturing industry.
