{"id":24697,"date":"2024-09-13T01:53:49","date_gmt":"2024-09-12T22:53:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=24697"},"modified":"2024-09-13T01:53:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T22:53:51","slug":"us-and-uk-top-diplomats-pledge-more-support-for-ukraine-during-joint-visit-to-kyiv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/us-and-uk-top-diplomats-pledge-more-support-for-ukraine-during-joint-visit-to-kyiv\/","title":{"rendered":"US and UK top diplomats pledge more support for Ukraine during joint visit to Kyiv"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>7 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Minister David Lammy met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, offering substantial new aid to Ukraine. However, they stopped short of committing to Kyiv&#8217;s request for long-range missile strikes into Russian territory, an issue Ukraine has been pursuing for months.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, the United States and Britain pledged nearly $1.5 billion in additional aid to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/tag\/ukraine\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#ac0707\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Ukraine<\/mark><\/a> during the visit on September 11, 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The visit came at a critical point in Ukraine\u2019s ongoing fight against the Russian invasion, with both foreign ministers pledging their countries&#8217; continued support for Ukraine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lammy and Blinken arrived in Kyiv aboard a private overnight train from Poland, with air raid sirens interrupting their day-long visit. The trip included meetings with key Ukrainian officials, such as President Zelenskyy and newly appointed Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. Though framed as a gesture of solidarity, the visit primarily focused on delivering strong words of support rather than making concrete commitments, particularly on missile defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Had a constructive conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/andrii_sybiha?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@andrii_sybiha<\/a>. U.S. and UK support for Ukraine\u2019s defense against Russia\u2019s aggression is ironclad. We look forward to close cooperation in the days ahead to protect Ukraine&#8217;s sovereignty and support its recovery. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ezwOKNQLEq\">pic.twitter.com\/ezwOKNQLEq<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecBlinken\/status\/1833934030019944519?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<br>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m delighted particularly to be here with David,\u201d Blinken said. \u201cThe United States, the United Kingdom, united for Ukraine.\u201d British foreign secretary said: \u201cThis is the first time in well over a decade that a secretary of state from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/tag\/u-s\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#ac0707\" class=\"has-inline-color\">U.S.<\/mark><\/a> and a foreign secretary of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/tag\/uk\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#ac0707\" class=\"has-inline-color\">UK<\/mark><\/a> have traveled together, and that is to reiterate our complete support for the Ukrainian struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lammy added that he and Blinken are visiting Kyiv at a critical moment \u201cto listen [to Ukriane], to strategize on the coming months, with our determination that Ukraine must win this fight against Russian aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Ukraine\u2019s long-range strike capabilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blinken and Lammy met Zelenskyy to discuss the war\u2019s progress and Ukraine\u2019s future military needs. &#8220;Among other things, we discussed long-range fires, but a number of other things as well,&#8221; Blinken told reporters after the meeting. He added, &#8220;I&#8217;m going to take that discussion back to Washington to brief the president on what I heard.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on his Western allies to supply <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/tag\/ukraine\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#ac0707\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Ukraine<\/mark><\/a> with long-range missiles, such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/tag\/u-s-army\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#ac0707\" class=\"has-inline-color\">U.S. Army<\/mark><\/a> Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and British Storm Shadows, to strike deep into Russian territory. These weapons would significantly enhance Ukraine\u2019s ability to cripple Russian military installations and logistics hubs far from the front lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ukrainian president views the ability to strike deeper into Russia as crucial to limiting Moscow\u2019s capacity to continue launching assaults. However, the West remains cautious, as allowing such strikes could escalate the war and potentially provoke direct conflict between Russia and NATO countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A very substantive and long conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SecBlinken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@SecBlinken<\/a> and UK Foreign Secretary <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DavidLammy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@DavidLammy<\/a>, during which we discussed all key issues.<br><br>It is important that Ukrainian arguments are heard. This includes the long-range weapons, the supply\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uZWIUVQo95\">pic.twitter.com\/uZWIUVQo95<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Volodymyr Zelenskyy \/ \u0412\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u043c\u0438\u0440 \u0417\u0435\u043b\u0435\u043d\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439 (@ZelenskyyUa) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZelenskyyUa\/status\/1833937320246214692?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n\n\n\n<br>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked about the likelihood of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/tag\/u-s\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#ac0707\" class=\"has-inline-color\">U.S.<\/mark><\/a> and Britain authorizing these long-range attacks, Zelenskyy joked that it depended on the &#8220;optimism&#8221; of Ukraine\u2019s allies. He expressed hope for &#8220;strong decisions&#8221; from the West, adding, &#8220;For us, it\u2019s very important for today.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a Telegram post following the talks, Zelenskyy described the discussions as &#8220;long and meaningful.&#8221; He wrote, &#8220;All the key issues were discussed. What&#8217;s important is that all the Ukrainian arguments were heard. And that concerns long-range weaponry, supplying our front-line brigades, and the general strategy of moving strategically towards a just peace.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Russia\u2019s warning<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Ukraine\u2019s requests for long-range missiles are under consideration, there is significant concern in Washington and some European capitals about the potential consequences. Some fear that lifting the restrictions on these strikes could provoke Russia to escalate the conflict further, possibly involving the West directly in hostilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia&#8217;s lower house of parliament, issued a stark warning in response to the possibility of Western-supplied long-range strikes on Russian soil. He stated that Moscow would regard the U.S. and its allies as active participants in the war if they allowed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/tag\/ukraine\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#ac0707\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Ukraine<\/mark><\/a> to carry out such attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the risks, there are indications that compromise may be possible. President Joe Biden hinted those discussions were ongoing, stating his administration was &#8220;working that out now&#8221; when asked about lifting restrictions on long-range weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>New aid commitments by the US and UK<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blinken and Lammy\u2019s visit was twice interrupted by air raid alerts in Kyiv, both before and after a joint news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. The alerts were reportedly triggered by ballistic missile threats, though it was unclear what, if anything, had been targeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"800\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We stand with Ukraine today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/uhCWahGpF2\">pic.twitter.com\/uhCWahGpF2<\/a><\/p>&mdash; David Lammy (@DavidLammy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DavidLammy\/status\/1834189981864132811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 12, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<br>\n\n\n\n<p>The heightened tension during the visit did not stop the two foreign ministers from announcing substantial new aid packages for Ukraine. Blinken unveiled over $700 million in additional U.S. support, while Lammy confirmed that Britain would provide a further $781 million in aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This new funding aims to bolster Ukraine\u2019s military capabilities as it continues to fend off Russian advances, particularly in the east of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Crimea Platform<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blinken and Lammy visited the capital of Ukraine at a time when Zelenskyy also welcomed leaders of Latvia, Lithuania, and Croatia for participation in the annual Crimea Platform summit, which is dedicated to reversing the illegal annexation of the peninsula by Russia in 2014. \u201cMemory compels us to act,\u201d Zelenskyy said, noting that the return of Crimea to Ukraine is a key part of ensuring a lasting peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the fourth Crimea Platform, U.S. Secretary Blinken reaffirmed that <a href=\"https:\/\/china.usembassy-china.org.cn\/secretary-antony-j-blinken-at-4th-crimea-platform\/\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);color:#ac0707\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Crimea is Ukraine<\/mark><\/a>. \u201cCrimea teaches us a lot. \u00a0Crimea shows the future Putin seeks for all of Ukraine. \u00a0Crimea shows Ukrainian resilience, and what drives it. \u00a0And Crimea shows what we partners of Ukraine \u2013 and nations committed to defending international rules and rights \u2013 what we must do to respond to Russia\u2019s relentless war of aggression,\u201d Blinken stated.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crimea-platform.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crimea-platform.jpg?resize=900%2C500&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Crimea platform 2024\" class=\"wp-image-24724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crimea-platform.jpg?w=900&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crimea-platform.jpg?resize=300%2C167&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/crimea-platform.jpg?resize=768%2C427&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>U.S. Secretary Antony J. Blinken, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha participate in a Crimea Platform Engagement in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 11, 2024. (Image Credit: U.S. State Department)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cFair and sustainable peace is impossible without restoration of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and that includes the Crimea.\u00a0Crimea is Ukraine,\u201d Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Stalemate on the Battlefield<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than two and a half years into the conflict, Ukraine\u2019s forces are facing increasing challenges. After making significant territorial gains earlier in the war, Ukrainian advances have stalled in recent weeks. Russian forces have started to reclaim ground, with a senior Russian commander stating on Wednesday that Russian troops had retaken control of around 10 settlements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although Ukraine has not commented on these reports, the slow pace of progress is becoming a growing concern for Kyiv, as winter approaches and the battlefield dynamics could become even more challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><strong>Zelenskyy&#8217;s trip to US<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Later this month, President Zelenskyy will travel to the United States, where he is expected to meet with President Biden and key figures in the U.S. political landscape, including the two front-runners in the 2024 presidential election. Zelenskyy will present his case for further support and hopes to secure a long-term commitment from the U.S. that could bring the war closer to an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zelenskyy\u2019s visit will be closely watched, as it could shape the trajectory of U.S. and Western support for Ukraine going into 2024. Ukraine\u2019s leadership remains adamant that it needs more advanced weapons and support from the West to shift the war in its favor.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Blinken-Zelenskyy.jpeg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"690\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Blinken-Zelenskyy.jpeg?resize=690%2C370&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Blinken and Zelenskyy in Kyiv\" class=\"wp-image-22834\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Blinken-Zelenskyy.jpeg?w=690&amp;ssl=1 690w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Blinken-Zelenskyy.jpeg?resize=300%2C161&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 690px) 100vw, 690px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Kyiv on May 14, 2024. (Image Credit: (Image Credit: Presidential Office of Ukraine)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Minister David Lammy met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, offering substantial new aid to Ukraine. However, they stopped short of committing to Kyiv&#8217;s request for long-range missile strikes into Russian territory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[62,1,125],"tags":[211,75,23,357,5,31,20,7,61,22,365,128,63],"class_list":["post-24697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-news","category-united-states","tag-britain","tag-conflict","tag-crimea","tag-europe","tag-military","tag-missile","tag-russia","tag-u-s","tag-uk","tag-ukraine","tag-united-kingdom","tag-war","tag-weapons"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/UK-US-Ukraine.jpeg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-6ql","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24697"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24737,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24697\/revisions\/24737"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24717"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}