Blinken, Austin pledge return of US diplomats, more security assistance on Kyiv visit

SOUTHEASTERN POLAND: Washington's top diplomat and defence secretary both visited Kyiv on Sunday (Apr 24), and used the first official US visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded two months ago to announce a gradual return of US diplomats to the country and the nomination of a new ambassador, officials said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin travelled to Poland on Saturday then overland into Ukraine on Sunday, where they met President Volodomyr Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian officials, a senior State Department official said, declining to discuss in detail their travel or security arrangements.

The visit was designed to show Western support for Ukraine and the Cabinet secretaries also pledged new assistance worth US$713 million for Zelenskyy's government and countries in the region, where Russia's invasion has raised fears of further aggression by Moscow.

It also highlighted the shift in the conflict since Ukrainian forces, armed with a massive influx of weapons from the West, successfully repelled a Russian assault on Kyiv.

Russian forces have regrouped to try to capture more territory in the southeastern Donbas region, letting foreign leaders visit the capital and some Western nations resume their diplomatic presence in recent weeks, but Washington has been cautious about a return amid sporadic Russian missile attacks in the West.

Officials declined requests from the media to accompany the secretaries into Ukraine, citing security concerns. The officials briefed reporters in Poland on condition the trip not be reported until the delegation was safely out of Ukraine.