US announces re-opening of US embassy in Kyiv, new military aid for Ukraine

Kyiv [Ukraine], April 25 (ANI): US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III announced the re-opening of the US embassy in Kyiv and fresh military aid for the war-torn country as they arrived in Kyiv on Sunday to show their support for Ukraine.
In order to arm Ukraine with more advanced weapons and air defence systems, US President is expected to commit USD 713 million in new military financing for Ukraine and 15 other nations in Eastern Europe, the State Department official said, with this, the US total military aid to Kyiv touched USD 3.7 billion since Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine on February 24, The New York Times reported.
The funding is intended to assist the Ukrainians in the fight for the Donbas region by allowing the Ukrainian troops to use more advanced weapons and air defence systems, the officials said.
The assistance will also go toward funding ordnance used by Soviet-designed weapons like rockets, assault rifles and machine guns still used by the Ukrainian army, reported The New York Times.
The visit by the US delegation comprising of Blinken and Austin III came after several leaders including UK PM Boris Johnson met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
The US delegation told the Ukrainian President that the United States would move to reopen its embassy in Kyiv, and for the first time since 2019, nominate an American official to lead it.
President Biden is set to announce the nomination of Bridget Brink, the current US ambassador to Slovakia, as ambassador to Ukraine in Washington on Monday morning, according to a senior State Department official.
American diplomats will begin crossing the border into Ukraine this week, and will reopen the Kyiv embassy as soon as feasible to begin re-establishing contacts throughout the country in person, the US State official confirmed.
The coming changes were announced while briefing the reporters in Poland by the US diplomats who were not authorized to speak publicly about coming policy changes, as reported by The New York Times.
Having helped Ukraine with financial aid and weapons and also leading the international campaign of sanctions against Russia. The visit by US top diplomat and top defence official was planned in extraordinary secrecy.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, the US authorized new military assistance worth USD 800 million for Ukraine.
Recently, leaders of Britain, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia, Estonia, Spain and Denmark have visited the country. Moreover, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, visited both Kyiv and Bucha, where journalists and investigators have found evidence of atrocities and mass graves.
Russia launched a "special military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, which the West has termed an unprovoked war. As a result of this, the Western countries have also imposed several crippling sanctions on Moscow. (ANI)