US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken may leave for Ukraine in May, CNN reported on April 27, citing a source in the Ukrainian government.
He said that Blinken’s visit to Ukraine will be one of the opportunities to discuss a potential meeting between US and Ukrainian Presidents Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy this summer.
According to the channel’s interlocutor, Blinken has already talked several times with the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Dmytro Kuleba since taking office.
This information appeared against the background of the study of the possibility of a Biden summit with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. As the TV channel notes, the Ukrainian authorities are afraid of a meeting between the leaders of the United States and the Russian Federation, however, the visit of the Secretary of State to Kiev before the talks will testify to the continued support from Washington.
“The fact that the Biden administration may send its chief diplomat to Ukraine a few weeks before a potential meeting will give a clear signal that Washington supports this Eastern European country and values it as an ally,” the channel said.
On April 3, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova said that Ukrainian diplomats and the president’s office are working to organize a meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Joe Biden.
The day before, the American leader, in his first telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, confirmed Washington’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. He highlighted his administration’s commitment to “revitalizing” the strategic partnership in support of Zelenskiy’s anti-corruption plan and a reform agenda designed to “ensure justice, security and prosperity for the people of Ukraine.”