KYIV: On their arrival in Kyiv on Sunday to show their support for Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III announced the reopening of the US embassy in Kyiv and new military help for the war-torn country. The US President is expected to commit USD 713 million in new military financing for Ukraine and 15 other Eastern European countries, according to a State Department official. With this, the US total military aid to Kyiv has reached USD 3.7 billion since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, The New York Times reported.
According to officials, the financing will help Ukraine in its war for the Donbas region by allowing Ukrainian troops to utilise more powerful weapons and air defence systems. As per reports, the aid will also go toward funding munitions for Soviet-designed weapons like rockets, assault rifles, and machine guns that are still in use by the Ukrainian army.
Blinken and Austin III led a US mission to Kyiv after many leaders, including UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The US delegation informed the Ukrainian President that the US would reopen its embassy in Kyiv and designate an American diplomat to oversee it for the first time since 2019.
According to a senior State Department official, President Biden will announce Bridget Brink's nomination as ambassador to Ukraine on Monday morning in Washington. Bridget Brink is currently the US ambassador to Slovakia. According to a US State Department official, American diplomats will begin crossing the border into Ukraine this week and will reopen the Kyiv embassy as soon as possible to begin re-establishing ties around the country in person.
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