US Secretary of State and Defense Secretary Promise Additional $700 Million Military Support to Ukraine

On the 23rd (local time), U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken boarded a plane bound for Poland at Andrews Air Force Base in the United States. Arriving in Poland on the 24th, Secretary Blinken visited Kyiv, Ukraine by land and held talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky. [Image source=AP Yonhap News]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who visited Kyiv for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, pledged an additional $700 million (approximately 874.2 billion KRW) in military aid to Ukraine. They also promised to reopen the Ukrainian embassy, which had been temporarily relocated to Poland since the outbreak of the war, and announced the appointment of a new U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, a position that had been vacant since 2019.

According to CNN on the 24th (local time), a senior U.S. State Department official who requested anonymity stated during a press briefing held in Poland that "Secretaries Blinken and Austin visited Kyiv and held a 90-minute meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian leaders," adding, "During this visit, the two secretaries pledged weapons support worth approximately $713 million (about 890.5 billion KRW) to Ukraine."

Earlier, the U.S. State Department decided to keep the meeting in Kyiv confidential for security reasons, and after confirming that both secretaries safely left Kyiv, held the briefing in Poland. The senior official explained, "Of the $700 million in funds, $300 million will be provided directly to Ukraine, and $400 million will be jointly supported to 15 other countries in Eastern Europe and the Balkans." It is known that during the meeting, the two secretaries emphasized supporting Ukraine with weapons that would enable it to engage Russian forces in the Donbas region.

Additionally, the Ukrainian embassy, which had withdrawn to Poland following Russia's invasion, is set to reopen, and diplomats are expected to return. The senior State Department official said, "Secretary Blinken pledged to President Zelensky that the Ukrainian embassy would be relocated back to Kyiv from Poland within this week, and all diplomats would return," adding, "He also promised to appoint a U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, a position that has been vacant since 2019."

According to the U.S. State Department, Bridget Brink, currently the U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, is expected to be appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. The position has been vacant since 2019, and Brink was previously nominated as ambassador to Ukraine in February.

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