U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of “strong enduring support for Ukraine” and a determination on the part of the Biden administration to continue military aid for Ukrainian forces.
Blinken’s comments came at the start of talks Tuesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The top U.S. diplomat said the expression of support comes at a time when Ukraine is facing repeated Russian attacks on infrastructure and civilians.
“And we see that every day, but we also see the incredible courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people, the courage and resilience of your security forces,” Blinken said.
Zelenskyy thanked the United States for its support, including air defense systems that have been critical in helping Ukrainian forces defend the country from Russian drone and missile attacks.
Those attacks have included strikes on multiple Ukrainian cities, with even downed drones and missiles causing damage and injuries on the ground.
Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian officials have implored the U.S. and European allies to further bolster Ukraine’s air defenses, a request that has coincided with the drying up of U.S. funding for new rounds of aid.
The Biden administration has asked Congress for tens of billions of dollars in new aid for Ukraine as part of a larger security package that includes aid for Israel and U.S. border security funding. That measure has met resistance from some Republicans in Congress who want even more action on border security.
Ukrainian attacks
Russia’s defense ministry said Tuesday it thwarted attacks by Ukrainian drones in multiple regions, including destroying five drones and intercepting three others over the Voronezh area.
Alexander Gusev, the regional governor, said debris from a drone injured a child. The mayor of Voronezh, a city about 250 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, declared a temporary state of emergency.
Russia’s defense ministry also said it intercepted four drones over the Belgorod region, and another in the Bryansk region.
Some material for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
