Blinken Visits Kyiv, Offers $2 Billion in New US Military Aid
2022-09-09
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1U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Kyiv Thursday.
2He offered $2.2 billion in new military aid to Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia.
3During his visit, Blinken held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials.
4Blinken said in a statement that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden had informed Congress of its plans to provide $2.2 billion in long-term military financing.
5U.S. officials said about $1 billion of the aid will go to Ukraine.
6The rest will be divided among 18 of its neighbors, including NATO military alliance members and area security partners.
7The aid will provide loans to countries to permit them to buy weapons and defense equipment made in the U.S.
8The countries receiving aid remain "potentially at risk of future Russian aggression," Blinken said in a statement.
9"President (Joe) Biden has been clear we will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes."
10It was Blinken's second visit to the Ukrainian capital since Russia invaded the country in February.
11White House officials said Biden also spoke by phone with U.S. allies and partners "to underscore our continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian aggression."
12The new military aid is in addition to a separate deal worth $675 million announced earlier Thursday by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a visit to Ramstein, Germany.
13That aid covers heavy weapons, ammunition and military vehicles for Ukraine alone.
14Zelensky said Ukraine was thankful for America's "enormous support," which he said was helping Ukraine "return our territory and lands."
15During his visit, Blinken also held talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and visited a children's hospital, where he met young people injured in Russian bombings.
16The latest aid offering brings the total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to $15.2 billion since Biden took office in January 2021, Blinken said.
17A State Department official told reporters in Poland before the visit, "All of this security assistance is trying to help ensure that Ukraine is successful in this counteroffensive."
18The aid announcements came as fighting between Ukraine and Russia intensified in recent days, with Ukrainian forces launching new counteroffensives to retake Russian-held areas.
19I'm Bryan Lynn.
1U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unannounced visit to Kyiv Thursday. He offered $2.2 billion in new military aid to Ukraine and other European countries threatened by Russia. 2During his visit, Blinken held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other officials. 3Blinken said in a statement that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden had informed Congress of its plans to provide $2.2 billion in long-term military financing. 4U.S. officials said about $1 billion of the aid will go to Ukraine. The rest will be divided among 18 of its neighbors, including NATO military alliance members and area security partners. The aid will provide loans to countries to permit them to buy weapons and defense equipment made in the U.S. 5The countries receiving aid remain "potentially at risk of future Russian aggression," Blinken said in a statement. "President (Joe) Biden has been clear we will support the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes." 6It was Blinken's second visit to the Ukrainian capital since Russia invaded the country in February. 7White House officials said Biden also spoke by phone with U.S. allies and partners "to underscore our continued support for Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian aggression." 8The new military aid is in addition to a separate deal worth $675 million announced earlier Thursday by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during a visit to Ramstein, Germany. That aid covers heavy weapons, ammunition and military vehicles for Ukraine alone. 9Zelensky said Ukraine was thankful for America's "enormous support," which he said was helping Ukraine "return our territory and lands." 10During his visit, Blinken also held talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and visited a children's hospital, where he met young people injured in Russian bombings. 11The latest aid offering brings the total U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to $15.2 billion since Biden took office in January 2021, Blinken said. 12A State Department official told reporters in Poland before the visit, "All of this security assistance is trying to help ensure that Ukraine is successful in this counteroffensive." 13The aid announcements came as fighting between Ukraine and Russia intensified in recent days, with Ukrainian forces launching new counteroffensives to retake Russian-held areas. 14I'm Bryan Lynn. 15The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 16______________________________________________________ 17Words in This Story 18potential - n. a likelihood of changing in the future 19underscore - v. to emphasize the importance of something 20enormous - adj. extremely large 21ensure - v. to make certain that something happens 22What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 23Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.