Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin headed to Kyiv, Zelenskyy says
Two top U.S. officials will head to Kyiv on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday at a news conference.
Zelenskyy, who took questions from Ukranian and international media for more than an hour Saturday, said he will hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin as they travel to Ukraine's capital city.
The White House declined to comment on Saturday.
It will be the first official visit by U.S. government officials since Russia began invading Ukraine on February 24 invasion. The Russian invasion enters its third month Sunday.
Zelenskyy has for weeks urged Western allies to send Ukraine more weapons to counter the Russian invasion. He said Sunday he is grateful for the bipartisan support Ukraine has received from the U.S. President Joe Biden announced an additional $1.3 billion in aid to Ukraine this week, including $800 million in security aid.
Last month, he made a plea directly to members of Congress for the U.S. to help create a no-fly zone over Ukrainian skies and to provide more weapons to bolster Ukraine's ability to combat Russia's airpower.
Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal says it would be "a very important political symbol" for an American official to visit Ukraine during its time of war. Tune in tomorrow at 10:30a E.T. for more of @margbrennan's interview. pic.twitter.com/27qNcKZWiZ
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