US defense chief in Kyiv on solidarity visit

By AFP - Oct 21,2024 - Last updated at Oct 21,2024

People place their ballot as they vote in the presidential elections and a referendum on joining the European Union, at a polling station in the village Hirbovat on October 20, 2024 (AFP photo)

KYIV, Ukraine — US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv Monday in a show of support for Ukraine at a critical moment in its war with Russia and just weeks before the US election.

Austin arrived as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urges Western allies to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons and presses for an immediate invitation to join NATO.

But Ukraine fears the prospect of reduced US military support should Donald Trump be elected to the White House next month.

"I'm back in Ukraine for the fourth time as secretary of defense," Austin wrote on X, posting a picture of himself at Kyiv railway station.

He said his previously unannounced visit demonstrated that "the United States, alongside the international community, continues to stand by Ukraine".

The US Defense Department said Austin would meet Ukrainian leaders and "underscore the US commitment to providing Ukraine with the security assistance it needs to defend itself from Russian aggression on the battlefield".

Austin will also deliver a speech, it said.

US President Joe Biden on Friday along with the leaders of Germany, France and Britain pledged to maintain support for Ukraine and condemned "Russia's continued war of aggression".

A high-ranking Ukrainian presidency official said Austin's visit would likely focus on a so-called "victory plan" unveiled by Zelensky to allies last week.

"We expect that there will be more determination and understanding that we need to strengthen (military support for Ukraine), especially in the context of North Korea," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

About 1,500 North Korean soldiers are in Russia acclimatising and will likely to head to the front lines, Seoul's spy agency has said, with more troops set to depart soon.

Russia staged more aerial bombardments on Ukraine. The governor of Zaporizhzhia region said at least one person had been killed and 14 more were wounded in a strike that damaged a kindergarten.

"The body of a dead man has been recovered from the rubble in Zaporizhzhia," governor Ivan Fedorov said on social media, adding that 30 buildings were damaged.

The Kremlin claimed to have annexed the southern frontline region in 2022 alongside three others despite not having full military control over the territory.

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