Top US diplomat pays unannounced visit to Kyiv in support of Ukraine

By Handan Kazanci

ISTANBUL (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken paid an unannounced visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in an attempt to show Washington's support for the war-hit country, according to multiple reports on Thursday.

Blinken met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, reported the various media outlets covering his visit.

Earlier, Blinken had vowed on Twitter that Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin would not commit "systematic abuses" in Ukraine with "impunity."

"We are holding the perpetrators of these atrocities to account. The U.S. and our partners will not be silent. Ukraine and its citizens deserve justice," he added.

His visit came as US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is in Ramstein, Germany to attend the fifth Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting. Austin announced that President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved the latest tranche of US assistance to Ukraine, valued at up to $675 million.

Blinken visited Ukraine earlier this year in April.