KYIV, Ukraine – The United States’ top diplomat and defence commander are expected to visit Kyiv on Sunday for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine two months ago, with fierce fighting raging in the country’s east.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s visit comes as the war enters its third month, with hundreds of people killed and millions displaced.
A number of European politicians have already visited Kyiv to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky and express their support, but the US, which is a major financial and military backer, has yet to send any top officials.
Zelensky said he was preparing for “tomorrow’s key talks with American partners” in his daily video address on Saturday night. The State Department declined to comment on two of President Joe Biden’s top cabinet members’ highly sensitive trip.
Their visit comes as Russian forces show no signs of slowing their attacks and after a missile strike on Odessa, Ukraine’s southern city, that killed eight people, including an infant, according to Ukraine.
“A three-month-old baby girl was among those killed. What threat did she pose to Russia? It appears that the Russian Federation’s new national idea is to murder children “According to Zelensky.
