Blinken visits Kyiv as he makes the case the US needs to support Ukraine for the long haul

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv Wednesday on what is his third trip to the Ukrainian capital since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, seeking to double down on US support for Kyiv’s counteroffensive and make the political case back home that the US needs to commit billions of dollars more to help defeat Vladmir Putin.

Blinken said the US is “determined to continue to walk side-by-side” with Ukraine when he met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, as he called the country’s progress in the counteroffensive “very, very encouraging.”

Zelensky said it is always a “great message of support” for Ukraine when US officials visit, noting that this is a “tough period” for his country.