Russia is failing, Ukraine is succeeding, says US’s Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Russia is failing in its war aims and “Ukraine is succeeding”.

His secrecy-shrouded visit to Kyiv along with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February.

They told Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky and his advisers that the US will provide more than 300 million dollars (£234 million) in foreign military financing and had approved a 165 million dollar (£128 million) sale of ammunition.

Mr Blinken told reporters near the Polish-Ukrainian border on Monday: “We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people. This was, in our judgment, an important moment to be there to have face-to-face conversations in detail.”

Mr Austin said Mr Zelensky’s response to the aid was deep appreciation for what was being given but “he has the mindset that they want to win and we have the mindset that we want to help them win”.

In footage later released by the Ukrainian presidency of the meeting, Mr Blinken praised the “extraordinary courage and leadership and success that you’ve had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression”.

“We got used to seeing you on video around the world, but it’s great, it’s good to see you in person,” he said with a smile.

Mr Blinken also said US diplomats returning to Ukraine are likely to restaff the consulate in Lviv in western Ukraine before returning to Kyiv. They previously said the diplomats would start returning this week. The US Embassy in the capital will remain closed for the moment.

Mr Austin said at the news conference that “the world has been inspired” by Ukraine in the war and that America will continue its support. “What you’ve done in repelling the Russians in the Battle of Kyiv is extraordinary,” he said.

Mr Zelensky had announced on Saturday that he would meet the US officials in Kyiv on Sunday, but Joe Biden’s administration refused to confirm that and declined to discuss details of a possible visit even though planning had been under way for more than a week.

Journalists who travelled to Poland with Mr Austin and Mr Blinken were barred from reporting on the trip until it ended, were not allowed to accompany them on their overland journey into Ukraine, and were prohibited from specifying where in south-east Poland they waited for the Cabinet members to return. Officials at the State Department and the Pentagon cited security concerns.

Mr Austin and Mr Blinken announced a total of 713 million dollars (£555 million) in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries; some 322 million dollars (£251 million) of that is earmarked for Kyiv. The remainder will be split among Nato members and other nations that have provided Ukraine with critical military supplies since the war with Russia began, officials said.

Such financing is different from previous US military assistance for Ukraine. It is not a donation of drawn-down US Defence Department stockpiles, but rather cash that countries can use to purchase supplies that they might need.

The new money, along with the sale of 165 million dollars (£128 million) in non-US made ammunition that is compatible with Soviet-era weapons the Ukrainians use, takes the total amount of American military assistance to Ukraine to 3.7 billion dollars (£2.9 billion) since the invasion, officials said.

Mr Zelensky had urged the Americans not to go empty-handed.

US officials said they believed the new assistance would satisfy at least some of the Ukrainians’ urgent pleas for more help. New artillery, including howitzers, continues to be delivered at a rapid pace to Ukraine’s military, which is being trained on its use in neighbouring countries, the officials said.

On the diplomatic front, Mr Blinken told Mr Zelensky that Mr Biden will announce his nomination of veteran diplomat Bridget Brink to be the next US ambassador to Ukraine.

A career foreign service officer, Ms Brink has served since 2019 as ambassador to Slovakia. She previously held assignments in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia and Uzbekistan as well as with the White House National Security Council. The post requires Senate confirmation.

Mr Blinken also told Ukraine’s foreign minister that the small staff from the US Embassy in Kyiv, which has relocated to Poland from temporary offices in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, will begin making day trips to Lviv in the coming days.

Officials said the US had accelerated its review of security conditions in the capital and that the State Department will reopen the embassy there as soon as the situation allows.

Mr Biden has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of genocide for the destruction and death wrought on Ukraine. On Thursday, the US leader said he would provide a new package of 800 million dollars (£623 million) in military aid to Ukraine that included heavy artillery and drones.

Congress approved 6.5 billion dollars (£5.1 billino) for military assistance last month as part of 13.6 billion dollars (£10.6 billion) in spending for Ukraine and allies in response to the Russian invasion.

From Poland, Mr Blinken plans to return to Washington while Mr Austin will head to Ramstein in Germany for a meeting Tuesday of Nato defence ministers and other donor countries.

That discussion will look at battlefield updates from the ground, additional security assistance for Ukraine and longer-term defence needs in Europe, including how to step up military production to fill gaps caused by the war in Ukraine, officials said. More than 20 nations are expected to send representatives to the meeting.

The Ukrainian officials participating are Mr Zelensky, Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defence Minister Olexiy Reznikov, Ambassador Oskana Markarova, presidential administration head Andriy Yermak, chief of defence Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and Andrii Sybiya from Mr Zelensky’s office.

Representing the United States in addition to Mr Blinken and Mr Austin were State Department deputy chief of staff Tom Sullivan, senior military assistant Lieutenant General Randy George and Deputy Assistant Defence Secretary Laura Cooper.