U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged $1 billion in aid to Ukraine on a visit to Kyiv, while Russia conducted a deadly shelling attack on a market in a city in Eastern Ukraine Wednesday.
According to Ukrainian officials, 17 people were killed in the attack, which hit an outdoor market and 20 shops in the city of Kostiantynivka, close to the battlefield. At least 32 wounded were wounded.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack at a press conference with visiting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
“Those who know this place are well aware that it is a civilian area,” he said. “There aren’t any military units nearby. The strike was deliberate.”
Mr. Blinken is the first top U.S. official to visit Kyiv since Ukraine began its counter-offensive in June, and comes as Western allies express concerns about its meager successes, three months after its launch.
“We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs, not only to succeed in the counteroffensive but has what it needs for the long-term, to make sure that it has a strong deterrent,” Mr. Blinken said. “We’re also determined to continue to work with our partners as they build and rebuild a strong economy, strong democracy.”
In June, the Pentagon announced a $1.3 billion package of long-term military aid to Ukraine, which includes air defense systems and drones, bringing the total of U.S. military aid to $40 billion since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Prime Minister Shmyhal said Ukraine is grateful the money is coming in the form of grants, not loans that would drive it into debt.
On this trip, Mr. Blinken a new funding package of more than $1 billion in new aid for Ukraine, increasing U.S. security assistance to over $43.2 billion since the beginning of the conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the U.S. assistance “can’t influence the course of the special military operation,” as the Kremlin calls its invasion. Mr. Peskov accused the U.S. of propping up the Ukranian army “to wage this war to the last Ukrainian.”
Food and Energy
According to the State Department, the United States is also examining what steps might be required to secure Ukraine’s energy supply before winter.
Alternative export routes for Ukrainian grain will be discussed following Russia’s exit from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and its frequent bombardment of port facilities in the Odesa region, from which most grain is transported internationally.
Those alternatives may include new overland routes, or shipping routes near coastlines to keep vessels out of international waters where they could be targeted by Russia’s navy.
The War Continues
Overnight, Russia fired cruise missiles at Kyiv in its first aerial attack on the capital since Aug. 30, according to Serhii Popko, head of Kyiv’s regional military administration. Debris from a downed missile struck a business in Kyiv, causing a fire and damage, but no casualties were reported.
A Russian missile and drone attack on the port of Izmail, in the Odesa region, killed one person. Grain elevators, administrative buildings, and agricultural enterprises suffered damage.
Western analysts and military officials caution that the Ukrainian counteroffensive’s success is far from certain. Ridding Ukraine of entrenched, powerfully armed, and skilled Russian troops could take years, they say.
So far, Ukraine has managed to retake but a few dozen villages and small settlements as its offensive into Russian-held territory is greatly impeded by expansive minefields along the 600-mile front.
Ukrainian forces are currently advancing without air cover, making their progress harder and slower—a situation that is set to change soon, after both Denmark and the Netherlands recently pledged to give Ukraine F-16 fighter jets and pilot training.
In the meantime, Russia has launched its own push in the northeast to pin down Ukrainian forces and prevent them from being redeployed in the south.
According to the Royal United Services Institute, a British defense and security think tank, Ukraine has adapted its tactics in recent weeks, moving from attempts to bludgeon its way through Russian lines with Western-supplied armor to better-planned tactical strikes focusing on incremental gains.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
