US secretary of state Blinken tells President Zelenskiy war is at ‘pivotal moment’The US secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, told Volodymyr Zelenskiy the war with Russia was in a “pivotal moment” as Ukraine’s military continues its counteroffensive in the south of the country.
Blinken made a surprise visit to Ukraine’s capital Kyiv on Thursday after the US unveiled nearly $2.7bn (£2.4bn) in new military support to Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia.
AP reports that Blinken told Zelenskiy:
We know this is a pivotal moment, more than six months into Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as your counteroffensive is now under way and proving effective.
Zelenskiy replied:
We are grateful for the signal, for this enormous support that you’re providing on a day-to-day basis.
The US secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, meets Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, during his visit in Kyiv. Photograph: Reuters