KYIV -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British counterpart, David Lammy, announced new aid packages for Ukraine after arriving on September 11 in Kyiv on a joint visit that comes as Ukraine pushes its Western allies to drop restrictions that are keeping it from using long-range weaponry deep inside Russia.
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Both Blinken and Lammy said the conflict had reached a "critical" juncture, with Russian forces maintaining attacks on Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and continuing their use of missiles, glide bombs, and drones against Ukrainian cities.
Blinken announced more than $700 million in aid, much of it to bolster Ukraine's energy grid, while Lammy confirmed that his country would provide another 600 million pounds ($782 million) in assistance and loan guarantees.
As Blinken and Lammy arrived from Poland by train, there were reports that Russian forces have begun attacking Ukrainian troops and retaking territory in Kursk a little more than a month after Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into the Russian region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pleading with Kyiv's allies for months to allow Ukraine to fire Western weapons, including long-range U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadows, deep into Russian territory to limit Moscow's ability to launch attacks.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said he and Zelenskiy had had "detailed and productive" talks with Blinken and Lammy. Sybiha told reporters at a joint news conference that he and his two counterparts had discussed the supply of weapons and air defenses.
Zelenskiy last week told military and defense leaders they should not restrain his country’s ability to battle the Kremlin’s forces.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on September 10 that his administration is "working out" a way to lift the restrictions, though he gave no specifics.
Blinken said he would bring the discussion he had with Zelenskiy about missiles “back to Washington" to brief Biden, who is scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on September 13. They will “no doubt” talk about the issue during that meeting, Blinken said.
He told the news conference that the United States has "adjusted and adapted as needs have changed, as the battlefield has changed. And I have no doubt that we’ll continue to do that as this evolves.”
Zelenskiy said he hoped to speak to Biden later this month, noting that U.S. military and financial support is crucial.
“We rely heavily on it, and frankly, we can’t prevail without it,” Zelenskiy said.
Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 20 Shahed-type suicide drones launched by Russia in the early hours of September 11, according to the Ukrainian armed forces.
The military said Russia fired 25 Shahed drones, an Iskander ballistic missile, two S-300 antiaircraft guided missiles, and six Kh-31p anti-radar missiles overnight.
The projectiles targeted the Kyiv, Kherson, Cherkasy, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Poltava regions.
Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said two people were wounded and hospitalized as a result of the Russian attack. He said the strikes also caused destruction and a fire in one of the businesses in the Kamian district.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the other regions.
Blinken said earlier that Russia is "ramping up its attacks on cities, on people, in particular targeting the energy infrastructure...all in advance of the coldest months," adding that the tactics are part of President Vladimir Putin’s "winter playbook."
He told the news conference that $325 million of the more than $700 million in aid for Ukraine will help repair and restore Ukraine’s power generation facilities, provide emergency backup power, and strengthen the physical security of energy infrastructure. About $290 million will go toward food, water, shelter, health care, and education programs for Ukrainians in need in the country and refugees outside the country. The remaining $102 million will be used for mine-removal activities, he said.
"Our support will not wane, our unity will not break," Blinken said. "Putin will not outlast the coalition of countries committed to Ukraine's success, and he is certainly not going to outlast the Ukrainian people."