US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday.
This is the first visit by a senior US official since the passing of the $61 billion aid package for Ukraine by Congress.
A US official has said Blinken wants to send a “strong signal of reassurance to the Ukrainians.”
Blinken will speak with President Zelensky. He will discuss how US assistance can be used to shore up Ukraine’s defences.
The US official said the focus will be on how they can “take back the initiative on the battlefield.”
Ukraine has recently been suffering losses on the battlefield. Russian troops have taken advantage of Kyiv’s shortage of manpower and artillery shells.
Russia holds an advantage in manpower and weapons.
US NSA Jake Sullivan has said the focus was on accelerating the “tempo of the deliveries” to Ukraine.
Russia currently controls about 18% of Ukraine. It has been gaining ground since the failure of Kyiv’s counter-offensive in 2023.
It has reached Kharkiv located in the northeast of Ukraine.
This has opened up a new front in the war. The war has currently been fought in the east.
The US official said the discussion between Blinken and Zelensky will also centre around Kyiv joining the EU and Nato. There is no timeframe for this at the moment
Many European countries have signed bilateral security pacts with Ukraine. The US official says talks on a US-Ukraine pact is “in the final stages.”
Kyiv has welcomed the agreements. But it has also demanded that it be allowed to join Nato. There has been no commitment on a timeframe from the Nato members yet.
Nato chief Jens Stolberg said in a visit to Ukraine that this would happen soon.
“Ukraine will join Nato. It is not a question of if, but of when.”
(REUTERS)
