Blinken set to arrive in Ukraine in show of support for Kyiv

11/9/2024 13:38

        U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Ukraine on Wednesday, where he will meet with senior government officials at what he said was a critical moment for supporting the country in its fight against Russia's invasion.
        
        The top U.S. diplomat, who is traveling to Ukraine alongside Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, said he will use his visit to hear directly from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and others what Kyiv's current goals in the war are and what Washington can do to help it achieve them.
        
        Blinken said in London at a news conference with Lammy, "I think it's a critical moment for Ukraine in the midst of what is an intense fall fighting season with Russia continuing to escalate its aggression."
        
        Zelenskiy has been pleading for Western countries to supply longer-range missiles and to lift restrictions on using them to hit targets such as military airfields inside Russia.
        
        On the battlefield more than 2-1/2 years since the invasion, Ukrainian forces are being stretched by a better armed and more numerous foe, as they try to fend off creeping Russian gains in the east where Moscow is focusing its attacks.