Blinken tries to boost spirits in Kyiv as Russia advances on Kharkiv

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, arrived in Kyiv yesterday to deliver the message that Washington remains committed to supporting Ukraine as the country's forces face their toughest situation on the battlefield for many months.

- Shaun Walker

Russia in recent days has launched an offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region, forcing thousands to flee their homes, and yesterday hit the centre of Kharkiv, the country's second biggest city, with air strikes, local officials said.

Blinken's visit came three weeks after Joe Biden signed a $60bn (£48bn) aid package for Ukraine, following months of blocking by elements of the Republican party. Ukrainian officials have said that the delay in US weapons had made a difficult situation at the front even worse.

"We know this is a challenging time," said Blinken before a meeting with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. "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." 

Zelenskiy thanked Blinken for the US assistance, but said air defence remained the "biggest problem" for Ukraine. He asked for two new Patriot batteries for the Kharkiv region. Just hours later, residential buildings were hit in central Kharkiv. Local officials said 16 people had been injured, including three children.

The new Russian offensive in the surrounding region risks putting Kharkiv back within Russian artillery range for the first time since 2022. Over the past days, Russia has seized a number of villages and is now focused on the town of Vovchansk, which had a pre-war population of about 17,000.