U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has approved a plan that will see American diplomats headed back to Ukraine, as the country’s war with Russia moves into a new phase away from the capital, Kyiv.
U.S. diplomats will start “day trips into Lviv,” a city in Western Ukraine near Poland that has become a staging ground for humanitarian operations in the country, a Department of State official told CNN. They will then “graduate to potentially other parts of the country and ultimately, to resume a presence in Kyiv,” he said. Presently, the U.S. does not plan to establish a diplomatic post in Lviv or resume operations at its embassy in Kyiv, which has been vacant for two months after American diplomats were evacuated in February. In an email to National Review, a State Department spokesman confirmed that a “permanent presence” in Ukraine would be considered “as conditions allow”, while clarifying that in-person consular service remains suspended.
The announcement came as Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Sunday for a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Journalists did not accompany the delegation to Kyiv, which traveled by train to the city from Poland. Officials at the Departments of State and Defense reported that the meeting’s subjects included artillery training for Ukrainian forces and political support against the invasion. The visit “does not portend actual involvement by U.S. forces” in the conflict, said the official.
Their visit followed a flurry of Ukraine-related announcements by the Biden Administration. Following a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal visiting Washington, D.C. on April 21, President Joe Biden announced $713 Million in aid to the country in its fight against Russia. The package would include, “heavy artillery weapons — dozens of Howitzers — and 144,000 rounds of ammunition…It also includes more tactical drones,” the president said. Blinken and Austin were reported to have discussed the matter with Zelensky. Biden had signed another military aid package for Ukraine last week, as well as approved a separate $500 Million humanitarian aid package. U.S. assistance to Ukraine since the war began now totals $3.4 billion.
The White House also announced the nomination of a new Ambassador to Ukraine on Monday morning. Bridget A. Brink, the current U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia, a country bordering Ukraine, is a career diplomat who previously spent her career focused on the Eastern European and Eurasian region. The post had been vacant since 2019, when President Donald Trump recalled then-Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch during the controversy surrounding the withholding of aid to Ukraine, which became the subject of Trump’s first impeachment trial.
Amidst Blinken and Austin’s visit, Biden has faced criticism for not traveling to Ukraine himself. The leaders of other NATO member-states, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have personally visited Kyiv in the last month. The same State Department official said that there are no plans for Biden to visit.