Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski and the United States Secretaries of State and Defense, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin respectively, were meeting this Sunday (04.24.2022) in kyiv, the Ukrainian presidency reported.
“The Americans are in kyiv today. Right now they are talking to the president,” an adviser to Volodimir Zelensky, Oleksiy Arestovich, said in an interview broadcast on YouTube.
This is the first meeting of the Ukrainian president with representatives of the US administration in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
The talks on Sunday were mainly to deal with the supply of US weapons to Ukraine.
“Friendship and collaboration between Ukraine and the United States are stronger than ever,” Zelensky tweeted, without elaborating.
Arestovich, meanwhile, reiterated on YouTube the Ukrainian government’s desire to be supplied with “offensive weapons.” “As long as we can’t fight back, there will be a ‘new Bucha’ every day,” he launched, referring to the city northwest of kyiv that has become a symbol of the atrocities committed during the Russian occupation of the region in March.
“American representatives would not come here if they were not willing to donate (weapons),” he said.
On Saturday, Volodimir Zelenski had declared himself “grateful” to the US administration for the aid provided to Ukraine, but repeated that he wanted to obtain “even heavier and more powerful weapons” to confront the Russian army.
Diplomatic presence in Ukraine
Oleksiy Arestovich also indicated this Sunday night that “the defense lines were regarding to collapse” in Mariupol, a southern Ukrainian port city largely controlled by Russian forces, and where the last Ukrainian fighters have dug in. alongside civilians – in a large steel mill, Azovstal.
On his side, Blinken announced the return of the American diplomatic presence in Ukraine. He said that US President Joe Biden plans to appoint his country’s current ambassador to Slovakia, Bridget Brink, as the new chief diplomat in kyiv in the coming days, a post that has been vacant since 2019.
Although several European countries have already reopened their embassies in kyiv, the return of US diplomats will be gradual, according to a State Department official.
“Since the start of hostilities, we have had a team across the border in Poland that has done this (diplomatic) work for us,” the official told reporters waiting for Blinken and Austin on the Polish side of the border.
US officials also announced additional aid of more than $700 million to Ukraine. The two senior officials were in kyiv on Sunday and returned to Polish territory on Monday morning, US authorities confirmed.
mg (afp, efe)