Blinken in Kyiv says US arms will "make a real difference" on the battlefield

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during a trip to Kyiv on Tuesday that part of a major US aid package had arrived in Ukraine and that more was on its way that was going to "make a real difference," Reuters reports.

"We know this is a challenging time. But we also know that in the near term the assistance is now on the way, some of it has already arrived and more of it will be arriving. And that's going to make a real difference against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield," Blinken said.

Zelenskiy, addressing Blinken in English, said air defence supplies were "the biggest deficit for us" with Russia conducting long-range aerial attacks since March that have pounded electricity facilities and caused blackouts, Reuters adds.

"Really we need today two Patriots for Kharkiv, for Kharkiv region because there the people are under attack,” Zelenskiy said.

Ukraine recaptured swathes of territory during the first year after Russia's invasion in 2022, but a Ukrainian counter-offensive faltered last year and in recent months Russia has retaken the initiative at the frontline, the report adds.

Blinken’s trip comes weeks after US President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion foreign aid packagelast month that includesnearly $61 billion for Ukraine․