Senior US official in Ukraine for talks amid uncertainty over aid

Ukraine is heavily reliant on support from its Western allies to hold its own against Russia's full-scale invasion launched on Feb. 24, 2022. So far this year, Kyiv has received no military or financial aid from its two main backers, the United States and European Union.

U.S. Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday for talks amid growing uncertainty over U.S. economic and military assistance to Kyiv as the war with Russia approaches its third year. "Today we will meet government leaders, veterans and civil society to underscore our shared commitment to defeating Russian aggression in Ukraine," U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink said on social media platform X.

She published a picture of Nuland at Kyiv's central railway station. Ukraine is heavily reliant on support from its Western allies to hold its own against Russia's full-scale invasion launched on Feb. 24, 2022.

So far this year, Kyiv has received no military or financial aid from its two main backers, the United States and European Union. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff has said that the postponement of U.S. assistance for Kyiv being debated in the Congress would create a "big risk" of Ukraine losing the war with Russia.

President Joe Biden's administration asked Congress in October 2023 for nearly $106 billion to fund ambitious plans for Ukraine, Israel and U.S. border security, but Republicans who control the House with a slim majority have opposed the package.