Publish Date: 6 September 2023 - 12:30

TEHRAN, Sep. 06 (MNA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv Wednesday on what is his third trip to the Ukrainian capital since the start of Russia’s military operation in February 2022.

Top US diplomat Blinken has arrived in Kyiv in a gesture of support as Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces grinds into its fourth month with only small gains.

During his two-day visit, Blinken will likely announce a new package of US assistance worth more than $1bn, a senior State Department official said in a briefing for reporters on the trip.

Blinken, on the first trip to Kyiv by a top US official since the Ukrainian counteroffensive began, is expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba among other senior officials as well as civil society figures, the official said, Aljazeera reported.

Blinken’s arrival in Kyiv comes less than a month after President Joe Biden asked Congress for more than $24 billion to help Ukraine defeat Russia in the ongoing war.

MNA/PR