KYIV: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Wednesday announced $1 billion of help during a surprise trip to Kyiv, which suffered a Russian attack that killed as many as 17 people at a market in the east.
During a meeting with Ukrainian leader Zelensky, the US top diplomat reiterated the US’s support for Ukraine in its war to liberate territory in the south and east, AFP reported.
Washington Announces $1 Billion to Aid Kyiv as Russian Attack Kills 17
“The US is determined to continue to walk side by side with Kyiv. And the US President asked me to come to reiterate strongly our support,” Biden told President Zelensky.
Biden said that they saw significant progress in the counteroffensive, and that was very, very encouraging.
The new US $1 billion aid help, which includes $665.5 million in military and civilian help, would further “build momentum” for the ongoing counteroffensive, the US Secretary of State Blinken said. In addition to the aid, the US Defense Department also announced it would provide Ukraine with depleted uranium tank ammunition.
The Kremlin earlier rejected Blinken’s trip, arguing Washington’s aid would not “affect the course of the special military operation”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed the US for wanting to “keep Ukraine in a state of war, to wage this conflict till the last citizen in Ukraine”.
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The strike killed as many as 17 people, and President Zelensky described the attack as deliberate and “terrible”, drew world condemnation from the West, including allegations of “war crimes.” Officials said that 32 people were reportedly wounded in the Russian strike. Zelensky accused Moscow of intentionally targeting civilian populations and added there were no military units “anywhere near” the site.
The EU also condemned the attack along with the “escalation” of Russian strikes on “civilian objects” that has seen hundreds killed or injured in recent days. In a statement, the alliance said that the intentional strikes against civilians were war crimes.
Germany’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock wrote on social media that “this Russian war is an assault on global law and on humanity.”
Similarly, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the attack underscored “the significance of continuing to help the people of Ukraine as they defend their country.”
