US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv Wednesday on what is

his third trip to the Ukrainian capital since the start of Russia’s full-scale
invasion, seeking to double down on US support for Kyiv’s counteroffensive
and make the political case back home that the US needs to commit billions of
dollars more to help defeat Vladmir Putin.

The visit comes as Ukraine’s counteroffensive moves  into its fourth month,

with both political and military leaders in Kyiv talking up  recent gains,
especially in the south of the country, following growing concerns the
concerted push on the battlefield has failed to produce results.

The top US diplomat is expected to announce more than a billion dollars in

additional funding for Kyiv’s war effort as the Biden administration braces for
a political struggle to secure more money from Congress. Blinken’s arrival in
Kyiv comes less than a month after President Joe Biden asked for more than
$24 billion to help Ukraine defeat Russia, as some polls show the American
public’s support for continued funding is softening . This visit will help the
administration make the case for that continued support to the American
people, a senior US official said.