KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday in an unannounced diplomatic mission to reassure Ukraine that it has American support as it struggles to defend against .
The visit comes less than a month after Congress approved a long-delayed foreign assistance package that sets aside , much of which will go toward replenishing badly depleted artillery and air defense systems.
On his fourth trip to Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Blinken will underscore the Biden administration鈥檚 , U.S. officials said. They noted that since President Joe Biden signed the aid package late last month, the administration has already announced $1.4 billion in short-term military assistance and $6 billion in longer-term support.
It is 鈥渢rying to really accelerate the tempo鈥� of U.S. weapon shipments to Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.
鈥淲hat I am going to suggest is that the level of intensity 小蓝视频 exhibited right now in terms of moving stuff is at a 10 out of 10,鈥� Sullivan told reporters at a White House briefing Monday.
Artillery, air defense interceptors and have already been delivered, some of them already to the front lines, said a senior U.S. official traveling with the secretary on an overnight train from Poland.
Blinken will 鈥渟end a strong signal of reassurance鈥� to Ukrainian leaders and civil society figures he will meet during his two-day visit, said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity ahead of Blinken鈥檚 meetings.
In a statement released after Blinken's arrival, the State Department said he would meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian officials 鈥渢o discuss battlefield updates, the impact of new U.S. security and economic assistance, long-term security and other commitments, and ongoing work to bolster Ukraine鈥檚 economic recovery.鈥�
Delays in U.S. assistance, particularly since Israel鈥檚 war with Hamas began to preoccupy top administration officials, triggered and Europe. Blinken, for example, has visited the Middle East seven times since the Gaza conflict began in October. His last trip to Kyiv was in September.
The U.S. official added that Blinken also would give a speech later Tuesday extolling Ukraine鈥檚 鈥渟trategic successes鈥� in the war. It is intended to complement a Blinken address last year in Helsinki, Finland, deriding Russian President Vladimir Putin for Moscow鈥檚 strategic failures in launching the war.
Since the Helsinki speech, however, Russia has intensified its attacks, most noticeably as the for months without action, forcing a suspension in the provision of most U.S. assistance. Those attacks have increased in recent weeks as Russia has sought to take advantage of Ukrainian shortages in manpower and weapons while the new assistance is in transit.
Top Biden administration officials and Ukrainian national security officials held a call Monday 鈥渁bout the situation on the front, about the capabilities that they are most in need of, and a real triage effort to say, 鈥橤et us this stuff this fast so that we can be in a position to effectively defend against the Russian onslaught,鈥� Sullivan said.
Zelenskyy said over the weekend that 鈥渇ierce battles鈥� are taking place near the border in eastern and northeastern Ukraine as outgunned and outnumbered Ukrainian soldiers try to push back a .
The Kremlin鈥檚 forces are aiming to exploit Ukrainian weaknesses before a big batch of new military aid for Kyiv from the U.S. and European partners arrives on the battlefield in the coming weeks and months, Ukrainian commanders and analysts say. That makes this period a window of opportunity for Moscow and one of the most dangerous for Kyiv in the , they say.
The new Russian push in the northeastern Kharkiv region and a drive into the eastern Donetsk region come after months when the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line barely budged. In the meantime, both sides have used long-range strikes in what largely became a war of attrition.
The senior U.S. official said despite some recent setbacks, Ukraine could still claim significant victories. Those include reclaiming some 50% of the territory Russian forces took in the early months of the war, and improving transportation and trade links, not least through .
The official acknowledged that Ukraine faces 鈥渁 tough fight鈥� and is 鈥渦nder tremendous pressure鈥� but argued that Ukrainians 鈥渨ill become increasingly more confident鈥� as the new U.S. and other Western assistance begins to surge.
Blinken said Sunday that there was 鈥渘o doubt鈥� the monthslong delay in aid caused problems but that 鈥渨e are doing everything we can to rush this assistance out there.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a challenging moment,鈥� he told CBS鈥� 鈥淔ace the Nation.鈥� 鈥淲e are not going anywhere, and neither are more than some 50 countries that are supporting Ukraine. That will continue, and if Putin thinks he can outlast Ukraine, outlast its supporters, he鈥檚 wrong.鈥欌��
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AP reporter Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.
Matthew Lee, The Associated Press
