Antony Blinken arrives in Kyiv to reassure Ukraine, as Russia ramps up offensive

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday seeking to reassure Ukraine of continuing American support, as Russia escalates its offensive in the northeast of the country.

The unannounced two-day visit is Blinken’s fourth to Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022, and follows the U.S. approving $60 billion in long-delayed aid for Kyiv last month.

It comes after thousands of residents this week fled their homes in Ukraine’s northeastern region of Kharkiv, amid a Russian advance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Sunday that “fierce battles” were being fought and villages were being turned into a “combat zone,” while Russia claimed it has made strategic gains in the area.

Blinken will use his trip to “send a strong signal of reassurance” to Kyiv about enduring U.S. support and to highlight how American aid will help the Ukrainians “take back the initiative on the battlefield,” a U.S. official briefed reporters, Reuters and AP reported.

He will meet with Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said.

His visit comes one day after U.K. Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey made a surprise trip of their own to Kyiv to meet with Ukraine Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and reiterate British support.

Thousands of residents this week fled their homes in Ukraine’s northeastern region of Kharkiv amid a Russian advance. | Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine has repeatedly warned the war is entering a critical phase, and Kharkiv’s governor blamed Russia’s latest successes on a delay in Western weapons and ammunition reaching the frontlines. Russia now controls about 18 percent of Ukrainian territory, after Kyiv’s 2023 counteroffensive failed to dislodge Moscow’s forces.

But Ukraine has remained defiant, vowing to stop Russia’s latest push in its tracks. “We are adding more forces to Kharkiv,” Zelenskyy said in an address on Friday. “We will invariably destroy the occupier in a way that will disrupt any Russian offensive intentions.”