US defence chief visits Kyiv for talks on backing Ukraine’s fight against Russia

The war rumbles on in Ukraine (Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP)

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit, hours after a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital and as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky pushes Western partners to keep providing military support for the war.

Mr Austin said on the X platform that his fourth visit shows “that the United States, alongside the international community, continues to stand by Ukraine”.