Antony Blinken set to meet Ukraine's Kuleba in Brussels as Moscow-Kyiv war enters Day 43

As the Russian war against Kyiv escalated to day 43, US State Secretary Antony Blinken on is set to meet with his Ukrainian on Thursday. The itinerary of Blinken's schedule reveals that top US diplomat will participate in the North Atlantic Foreign Ministerial Session on Shared Security Challenges, including Support to Partners and the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine on April 7.

The meeting comes after Blinken met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and discussed efforts to provide security and other forms of assistance to our Ukrainian partners in response to the Russian Federation’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, according to a press release by US State Department spokesperson Ned Price. The leaders also noted preparations for the June 29-30 NATO Summit in Madrid and reaffirmed support for NATO’s Asia-Pacific partners, Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand, attending the Ministerial for the first time, Price added. At the meeting with Stoltenberg, Secretary Blinken reiterated US support for the development of a new NATO Strategic Concept that addresses current and future threats to the international rules-based order. 

On Wednesday, Blinken also met with foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy, and the UK to deliberate on plans to bolster support for Ukraine. The top leaders also discussed ways to enhance security and economic and humanitarian assistance to the war-torn nation. 

US pledges 10 anti-tank systems to Ukraine

Reiterating support for Kyiv amid aggravated Russian assault, Blinken on Wednesday announced 10 anti-tank systems for Ukraine. This comes after the US State Department last week nodded extra funding to assist Ukrainians with a consistent supply of personal protection equipment, including field gear, tactical equipment, medical supplies, communication systems, and armoured vehicles. It is pertinent to mention that since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022, the Biden Administration has authorized a total of $1.35 billion to provide immediate security assistance “to help Ukraine meet the armored, airborne, and other threats it is facing.” Washinton has also committed more than $4 billion in State Department- and DOD-funded security assistance “to help Ukraine" since the Russian invasion began, as per the CRS report on US assistance to Ukraine. 

On Wednesday, Blinken also slammed Russia for its "planned campaign to kill" civilians in Bucha, a town on the outskirts of Kyiv. Calling for accountability for the "genocide", Blinken also warned that with Russian troops withdrawing, there is an imminent danger that Russia could be "planning strikes elsewhere." He added it is too early to determine what Russia implied by "regrouping." 

(Image: AP)