Blinken visits Kyiv to show support for Ukraine’s bid to push out Russian forces

Antony Blinken and Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba visited a cemetery in Kyiv (Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Service via AP)

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit, hours after Russia launched its first missile attack in a week against the Ukrainian capital.

Mr Blinken’s trip aims to assess Ukraine’s three-month-old counter-offensive and signal continued US support for Kyiv’s efforts to drive out the Kremlin’s forces after 19 months of war amid concerns among some western allies over the pace of progress, according to US officials.