This is an archive article published on May 15, 2024

Blinken says US rushing ammunition, weapons to Ukraine amid fierce new fighting

Blinken, speaking as Ukrainian troops fought off a new Russian ground incursion into the northeastern Kharkiv region, said he expected President Joe Biden to meet Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the coming weeks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a joint press conference in Kyiv on May 15, 2024. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced in Kyiv on May 15, 2024 the release of a further $2 billion in military aid for Ukrainian forces holding back Russian onslaughts across the front line. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/Pool via REUTERS

By: Reuters

2 min readKyivMay 16, 2024 12:38 AM IST First published on: May 15, 2024 at 05:32 PM IST

The United States is rushing ammunition and weapons to the front lines in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday during a visit to the country which has lately faced setbacks in its war with Russia.

Kyiv has pleaded for quicker delivery of artillery shells and air-defence systems amid Russian advances that are straining Ukraine’s outmanned and outgunned military.

Moscow’s forces have also stepped up attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent weeks far behind the lines of its 26-month-old full-scale invasion.

“We’re rushing ammunition, armoured vehicles, missiles, air defences – rushing them to get to the front lines to protect soldiers, to protect civilians,” Blinken said during a press conference in Kyiv.