US' Blinken Set To Announce USD1bn+ In New Funding In Kyiv Trip-US Off.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is making a previously undisclosed visit to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, and according to a senior State Dep't official is set to announce a new package of US support worth over USD1bn. Blinken's visit is the first to Ukraine since the launch of the ongoing summer counteroffensive, and he is set to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

• Blinken's visit comes in the aftermath of the sacking of Defence Minister Olekseii Reznikov amid a number of corruption scandals related to the ministry (although not Reznikov himself). Blinken is participating in a roundtable with civil society leaders to discuss anti-corruption in a show of how seriously the US views any signals of graft given the scale of American financial support provided so far.
• The visit also comes at a time when speculation is rising regarding the effectiveness of the Ukrainian counteroffensive and populist right-wing Republicans raise questions about continued funding for Ukraine.
• Blinken is also looking to align messaging with Zelenskyy ahead of the UNGA in NYC later in the month. WaPo: “The Ukrainians have an important mission [...] to continue to explain, to their allies and partners around the world, what’s going on and their continued need for support,” the senior official said. “It’s important for us to continue to lead that global effort to support them. And so having a chance to consult and align before we get to New York is very, very important.”