Russian missile strike kills 17 as Blinken visits Ukraine with $1B in aid
Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv, Ukraine on September 6, 2023 (Official US State Department photo by Chuck Kennedy).
Blinken’s visit to Ukraine with $1 billion in new funding was overshadowed by an attack from Russia.
Article by Skylar Musick, Senior White House Producer
KYIV, Ukraine - A Russian missile strike killed 17 civilians in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday as U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, visited Kyiv with more than $1 billion in additional funding to help the country fight against Russian invaders.
The missile hit a marketplace in Kostiantynivka, which became a major industrial city during the Soviet era and is a glass-making center of Ukraine. In addition to the 17 people killed, at least 32 people were wounded. According to the Associated Press, this was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the Russia-Ukraine War.
“There aren’t any military units [near Kostiantynivka],” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a news conference in Kyiv. “The strike was deliberate.”
The attack highlights the importance of Blinken’s visit to Ukraine. His goals were to discuss Ukraine’s counteroffensive and to solidify U.S. support of Ukraine with $1 billion in new aid.
As posted by The Wall Street Journal, the counteroffensive’s progress has been slow since its implementation three months ago, causing anxiety in Washington and in the U.S.’s European allies. However, Blinken seems more optimistic.
“In the ongoing counteroffensive, progress has accelerated in the past few weeks,” Blinken said at a press conference in Ukraine. “[The new $1 billion package] will help sustain it and build further momentum.”
The package includes up to $175 million to provide Ukrainian forces weaponry from U.S. Pentagon stocks, including air defense system components, ammunition, and communications systems, CNN reported based on a State Department fact sheet.
The funding also contains $100 million for long-term military support, $200 million for humanitarian aid, $300 million to support law enforcement efforts and $200 million for anti-corruption efforts.
Aid for anti-corruption stems from Ukraine’s corruption scandals, which have made conservatives skeptical of Ukraine’s proper allocation of U.S. assistance, Politico reported. Therefore, Blinken made the U.S.’s expectations clear.
“We come bearing some further assistance for Ukraine across multiple areas, but that assistance doesn’t actually mean anything unless it is used effectively,” Blinken said during a speech at the embassy in Kyiv. He added that Ukrainian officials are ensuring the aid “is being used properly.”
The Kremlin criticized the U.S.’s funding. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it “can’t influence the course of the special military operation,” Moscow’s term for the war.
Blinken discussed other issues, including support for the Ukrainian economy. Following Blinken’s June announcement of $1.3 billion to help Kyiv rebuild, the U.S. will modernize Ukraine’s energy network and find alternative routes to ship grain out of Ukraine.
“We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs… for the long-term, to make sure that it has a strong deterrent,” Blinken said. “We’re also determined to continue to work with our partners as they build and rebuild a strong economy, strong democracy.”
“We are thankful to bipartisan support, to Congress, that you show great unity around Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said before meeting with Blinken.
Despite concerns about battlefield upsets, U.S. officials are overall encouraged by Ukraine’s progress in the war, the Associated Press published. However, Western military officials and analysts warn that the counteroffensive does not guarantee the war will end soon. Experts say it could continue well into next year.