In his surprise visit to Kiev, the head of US diplomacy assured the Ukrainian president that US military aid was "on its way" to Ukraine.
"The aid is on its way, some of it has already arrived, more will arrive. And it will make a real difference on the battlefield," Anthony Blinken promised during a meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky, AFP reports.
Amid the infighting between Republicans and Democrats, the United States took months to release the White House's promised aid of some 61 billion euros. As a result of these political disagreements, the Ukrainian army ran out of weapons just as Russia launched a new offensive in the fall and winter of 2023-2024.
The Ukrainian president insisted on the need to obtain more funds for air defense, calling for two Patriot batteries for the Kharkiv region.
The Kharkiv region has been the target of a Russian ground attack since 10 May, and has been subjected to intense bombardment in recent months, leading to power rationing.
Blinken, who is on his fourth visit to Kiev since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, arrived in the Ukrainian capital on an overnight train from Poland.
The United States has also allocated another package of military aid of about $1.4 billion that has been withdrawn from its stockpiles, mainly Patriot and NASAMS anti-aircraft systems, as well as artillery munitions. / BGNES
