Blinken visits Kyiv to show support for Ukraine’s bid to push out Russian forces

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit, hours after Russia launched its first missile attack in a week against the Ukrainian capital.

Mr Blinken’s trip aims to assess Ukraine’s three-month-old counter-offensive and signal continued US support for Kyiv’s efforts to drive out the Kremlin’s forces after 19 months of war amid concerns among some western allies over the pace of progress, according to US officials.

After arriving in Kyiv, Mr Blinken laid a wreath at the Berkovetske cemetery to commemorate members of the Ukrainian armed forces who lost their lives defending the country.

He is expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, and foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba to discuss the ongoing counter-offensive and reconstruction efforts.

Washington officials said possible alternative export routes for Ukrainian grain will also be discussed following Russia’s exit from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and its frequent bombardment of port facilities in the Odesa region from where most grain is transported abroad.

Those alternatives may include ships hugging coastlines to keep out of international waters where they could be targeted by Russia’s navy. Other possible overland routes are also being examined.

Mr Blinken’s visit is expected to include the announcement of new military aid of between 175 million dollars to 200 million dollars. Another larger military assistance package is expected later this week.

Other issues, including support for Ukraine’s war-torn economy will be discussed, building on Mr Blinken’s announcement in June in London of 1.3 billion dollars in aid to help Kyiv rebuild, with a focus on modernising its energy network that was bombarded by Russia last winter.

Overnight, Russia fired cruise missiles at Kyiv in the first aerial attack on the capital since August 30, according to Serhii Popko, the head of Kyiv’s regional military administration.

Debris from a downed missile struck the premises of a business in Kyiv, igniting a fire and causing damage to the company’s equipment. No casualties were reported.

In the Odesa region, meanwhile, one person was killed in a Russian missile and drone attack that hit the port of Izmail. The attack damaged grain elevators, administrative buildings and agricultural enterprises, local authorities said.

The trip to Ukraine is Mr Blinken’s fourth since the war began, including one very brief excursion over the Polish-Ukrainian border in March 2022, just a month after the Russian invasion.

However, it will mark the first time America’s top diplomat has spent the night in Ukraine’s capital since he visited Kyiv in January 2022, before the invasion.

US officials said Mr Blinken’s decision to stay overnight in Kyiv is intended to send a symbolic signal of American support for Ukraine as the war drags on.

Shared priorities will be discussed with the state of Ukraine’s counter-offensive high on the agenda, a senior US State Department official briefed reporters ahead of the trip.

The official highlighted the importance of being “well-aligned” on how Ukrainians see developments on the ground many weeks into the fight, which Kyiv’s troops launched in June.

Mr Blinken’s visit comes after some of Ukraine’s allies have privately expressed concern that Ukrainian troops may come up short and fail to reach their objectives.

While the US has been concerned by certain day-to-day battlefield setbacks, US officials said, they are still generally encouraged by Ukraine’s handling of the military situation, particularly its air defence capabilities in knocking down Russian drones aimed at Kyiv.