War in Ukraine: Blinken orders diplomats back to Kyiv after meeting with Zelensky

The US pledged more than $US700m in direct and indirect military aid, bringing the total sent by Joe Biden to $US4bn.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, right, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shake hands during their meeting in Kyiv on Monday,

America’s top envoy and defence chief have met President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, pledging more military aid and the return of US diplomats in the first high-level visit to the Ukraine capital by US officials since Russia invaded two months ago.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed solidarity with Mr Zelensky during the trip, which the US confirmed only after the two had left Ukrainian territory on Monday.

As well as the return of US diplomats to Kyiv, they pledged more than $US700m ($974m) in additional direct and indirect military aid, including $US300m to allow the country to purchase necessary weapons. Money will also go to Ukraine’s regional allies who need to resupply after sending weapons to their neighbour.

Mr Blinken said US President Joe Biden in the coming days planned to nominate US ambassador to Slovakia Bridget Brink as the new ambassador to Kyiv, a post that has been empty since 2019.

Though several European countries have already reopened their embassies in Kyiv, the return will be gradual for American diplomats, according to a State Department official.

“Since the start of hostilities, we’ve had a team across the border in Poland who’s been handling this work for us,” the official told reporters waiting for Mr Blinken and Mr Austin on the Polish side of the border. “Starting this week, members of that team will be able to do day trips instead into Ukraine. Ultimately, (they will) resume presence in Kyiv.”

The Ukrainian presidency had already confirmed the visit earlier in the day, with presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych saying the US envoys “wouldn’t come here, if they weren’t ready to give (weapons)”. And Mr Zelensky also tweeted that the “Ukraine-US friendship and partnership are stronger than ever”.

Mr Biden had already announced on Thursday a new $US800m aid package to bolster Ukraine in its fight against Russian troops in the country’s east. In total, the US has sent $US4bn in military aid since Mr Biden’s term began last year.

Mr Austin and Mr Blinken’s trip came after several foreign officials had already visited, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

With thousands of soldiers and civilians trapped in the southern port of Mariupol, Mr Arestovych said the city’s defences were “already on the brink of collapse” and Ukraine was in dire need of offensive weapons.

“As long as there are no ‘offensives’, there will be a new Bucha every day,” he said, referring to the town where UN officials have documented the unlawful killings of at least 50 civilians.

Kyiv has invited Moscow to talks near Mariupol’s sprawling Azovstal steelworks, the last holdout of Ukrainian resistance in the city that the Kremlin claims to have “liberated” and which is pivotal to Russia’s war plans to forge a land bridge to Russian-occupied Crimea and as far as Moldova.

There was no immediate response from Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered his forces not to assault the plant, but the Ukrainians say the attacks continue unabated.

On Sunday, the UN’s Ukraine crisis co-ordinator, Amin Awad, called for an “immediate stop” to fighting in Mariupol to allow trapped civilians to leave – a day after the latest attempt to evacuate civilians from the city failed.

In a message posted on social media on Sunday, Sviatoslav Palamar – deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, which is sheltering in a warren of tunnels under the steelworks – said Russian forces continued to rain down fire on Azovstal. “The enemy continues air strikes, artillery from the sea … enemy tanks continue to strike and infantry is trying to storm,” Captain Palamar said.

Marines commander Sergey Volyna described the situation in the complex as “very difficult” and reiterated calls for the international community to help those remaining escape. “We will not have time to wait for a military solution to the situation, the situation is very critical. Very heated. I don’t know how much time we have,” Major Volyna said.

AFP