Blinken hails Kyiv’s pushback against Russia in visit clouded by attack
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KYIV - Ukraine has made important progress in its counteroffensive against Russia’s invasion, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, during a visit overshadowed by a Russian attack that killed at least 17 people.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, which hit a crowded market in the city of Kostiantynivka, close to the battlefield.
He said a child was among the dead, and officials said at least 32 people were hurt.
“This Russian evil must be defeated as soon as possible,” Mr Zelensky said, describing it as a deliberate attack on a “peaceful city”.
Aides posted video footage showing an explosion after what sounded like a missile approaching, and people scurrying for cover or falling to the ground.
Russia did not immediately comment on the attack, and has denied deliberately targeting civilians.
Mr Blinken, the first top US official to visit Kyiv since the counteroffensive began in early June, announced a new package of US wartime assistance worth more than US$1 billion (S$1.3 billion), including support for Ukraine’s air defences.
“In the ongoing counteroffensive, progress has accelerated in the past few weeks. This new assistance will help sustain it and build further momentum,” Mr Blinken told reporters, at a news conference with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
Mr Blinken earlier described the progress as important and “very, very encouraging”.
US media reports have cited unidentified US officials as saying the Ukrainian counteroffensive has been too slow and hindered by poor tactics - criticism that angered Ukrainian officials and prompted Mr Kuleba to tell critics to “shut up”.
Ukraine has retaken more than a dozen villages and small settlements in its offensive. But its push into Russian-held territory has been slowed by minefields and trenches.
US officials have not publicly criticised Ukraine’s military tactics, and last week said they had seen progress in the south-east.
The new US aid would include Himars missile launch systems, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Abrams tanks and other weapons systems, White House press secretary Larine Jean-Pierre said.
The Pentagon said it would also send depleted uranium ammunition.
Asked about Mr Blinken’s visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow believed Washington planned to continue funding Ukraine’s military “to wage this war to the last Ukrainian”.
He said US aid to Kyiv would not affect the course of what he called Russia’s special military operation.
New defence minister
Mr Blinken’s visit coincided with parliament approving the appointment of Rustem Umerov as defence minister
Officials did not say whether Mr Blinken would meet Mr Umerov.
During his train ride to Kyiv, Mr Blinken also held talks with Danish Prime Minister Mettle Fredericks, who was visiting on the same day.
Mr Blinken thanked Ms Fredericks for Denmark’s donation of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and its leadership of a coalition of nations to train Ukrainian pilots, a State Department spokesman said.
Denmark and the Netherlands announced last month they would supply more than 60 US-made F-16s
The US government has provided more than US$43 billion in weaponry and other military aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Several Republican presidential hopefuls have questioned US aid, fuelling concerns over whether Washington will maintain its support for Ukraine once the US 2024 election campaign intensifies. REUTERS
