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Blinken says US will return diplomats to Ukraine during meeting in Kyiv, official says
Blinken and Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin traveled to the Ukrainian capital, the place they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and different Ukrainian officers, making them the highest-level US officers to have traveled to the nation for the reason that Russian invasion started in late February.
Whereas in Kyiv, Blinken and Austin met with Zelensky, International Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Protection Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and Inside Minister Denys Monastrysky for an prolonged, roughly 90-minute bilateral assembly, the senior State Division official mentioned.
Blinken and Austin mentioned the Biden administration’s intention to offer $713 million in further international navy financing to assist Ukraine transition to NATO-capable methods, in line with the senior State Division official and a senior Protection Division official, in addition to deliveries of latest US navy help to Ukraine and the continuing coaching for Ukrainian troopers.
Each officers briefed press who traveled to the area shortly earlier than Blinken and Austin had been on account of arrive in Kyiv; the touring US press corps didn’t journey with the secretaries to the Ukrainian capital.
Additionally they mentioned efforts at diplomacy the Ukrainians are endeavor with the Russians, the senior State Division official mentioned.
Within the background briefing, the officers made clear that the US navy would nonetheless not be concerned immediately within the conflict.
“The President has been very clear there will likely be no US troops combating in Ukraine and that features the skies over Ukraine,” the protection official mentioned, including, “This go to doesn’t portend precise involvement by US forces.”
Whereas officers hailed the journey as a testomony to the US dedication to Ukraine, they’ve additionally confronted questions on why Biden didn’t make the journey himself.
“The President of the USA is considerably singular, when it comes to what journey would require. So it goes nicely past what a Cupboard secretary would or what just about some other world chief would require,” the State Division official famous.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the nation earlier this month. Prime officers from the EU and the Baltics have additionally visited Zelensky in Kyiv.
As a part of the resumed US diplomatic presence in Ukraine, diplomats will “begin with day journeys into the Lviv” and “will graduate to probably different components of the nation and in the end, to renew presence in Kyiv,” the senior State Division official mentioned.
Blinken and Austin’s go to got here as the primary tranche of about 50 Ukrainians will full artillery coaching in a rustic exterior Ukraine, the protection official mentioned. One other tranche of about 50 Ukrainians will even start coaching quickly, the protection official mentioned.
“The primary tranche of artillery coaching is full,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby informed reporters Sunday who traveled to the area with the secretaries in a briefing in Poland. “We practice troopers that can return, and their colleagues will have the ability to comply with and be all in on methods.”
A few of the howitzers included in the latest navy help package deal for Ukraine are already within the nation, the protection official mentioned. The howitzers are anticipated to be efficient at this stage of the conflict because it’s shifted to the Donbas, the place the terrain is suited to “lengthy vary” weaponry, Kirby mentioned.
Kirby famous the velocity with which the navy help shipments has arrived in Ukraine and mentioned that the choice for how one can deploy the help is as much as the Ukrainians.
“It is not taking greater than 24 to 48 hours relying on what’s being shipped and the provision of floor transportation to get it into Ukraine,” Kirby mentioned. “As we have mentioned earlier than, when (the help is) transferred to Ukrainian arms, it is Ukrainian property, and we’re not dictating to them how briskly they get it to the entrance line or what items get them.”
Navy officers described to reporters the continuing concern amongst NATO nations concerning the risk that Russia poses to them.
“Not simply right here in Poland, I feel lots of the nations are involved about Russia’s subsequent steps,” mentioned Lt. Gen. John Stephen Kolasheski, the commanding normal of V Corps in Poland. “And are very happy to have the US navy right here working aspect by aspect — serving to them develop their capabilities and capability. … I feel they’re recognizing that Russia is at the moment and will likely be a risk sooner or later.”