U.S. to give more military aid, diplomatic presence to Ukraine

The United States will give more military aid and return a diplomatic presence to Ukraine in a show of support as the war enters a new phase at the beginning of its third month.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin went to Kyiv to bolster the faith in Ukraine's defenses as Russia launches its new offensive in the country s south and east.

The U.S. delegation met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior officials in the country's capital, the highest-level American visit since Russia invaded.

Zelenskyy had urged the U.S. not to show up empty-handed, and saw a boost to Western allies' support for his cause with the re-election of French President Emmanuel Macron. Zelenskyy congratulated Macron, calling the centrist leader a true friend of Ukraine after he held off the challenge of the far-right Marine Le Pen, who threatened to upend NATO and urged closer ties with Russia.

On April 25th, the damage seen at the besieged steelworks in Mariupol This satellite image from Planet Labs shows damage at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukraine. After Blinken, Austin visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's Zelenskyy thanked the U.S. for its unprecedented help Monday after a visit from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, a wartime first for top U.S. officials. Zelenskyy stressed the importance of the visit to Kyiv at a critical moment for his nation, in a statement released after the Sunday meeting. He thanked President Joe Biden personally for his leadership in supporting Ukraine and for his clear position. Zelenskyy said in the statement that we feel it. His office said that defense assistance, strengthening sanctions on Russia, financial support for Ukraine and security guarantees were among the topics discussed with the U.S. delegation. Secretaries Austin and Austin speak with Zelenskyy in Kyiv Photo shows Austin, Blinken meeting with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin slipped into Ukraine on Sunday for an extraordinary wartime meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, bringing new promises of military and diplomatic support and defying concerns about whether it was safe to make the journey. The trip, the highest-level U.S. visit since Russia invaded two months ago, was designed to show steadfast U.S. support for Ukraine and its defense as the war enters a new worrying phase that is expected to be marked by a major Russian offensive in Ukraine s south and east. The Biden administration will nominate an ambassador to Ukraine, return a diplomatic presence to the country as soon as this week, and the U.S. will provide more than $713 million in military financing for Ukraine and other regional partners, according to Blinken.