Blinken visits Kiev to show support for Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State also holds meeting with the foreign minister.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Kiev on a surprise visit to meet with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski and show his support for Kiev in the framework of the latest military aid approved Thursday, valued at 675 million euros.

“President (of the United States, Joe) Biden has been clear: we will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes. I reiterated this message to (Ukrainian President (Volodimir) Zelenski and his team today in Kiev,” Blinken stressed in a statement.

In addition to meeting with Zelenski, Blinken held a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dimitro Kuleba, while also meeting with the diplomatic staff of the U.S. Embassy in the Ukrainian capital.

“In the midst of a terrible loss, the brave and resilient team at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv continues to demonstrate the best of our ideals,” Blinken has highlighted on his official Twitter profile, extending his congratulations to the diplomatic staff.

As part of this trip, he has visited a children’s hospital in Kiev accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador to the country, Bridget Brink, and met some children who remain in the medical facility receiving treatment for war injuries.

“We greatly admire the courage and spirit of your children. It sends a very strong message to everyone,” Blinken said in one of the rooms, adding that “it’s an honor” to have been able to chat with doctors and patients, as reported by CNN.

Blinken also had an affectionate encounter with Patron (‘cartridge’, in Ukrainian), a famous Ukrainian dog that works detecting bombs with the emergency services in the city of Chernobyl. The dog teaches children mine safety measures and has his own social networks.

The trip comes after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, speaking at a meeting of defense ministers at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Thursday, announced an additional package to deliver weapons to Ukraine worth 675 million euros.