A show of diplomatic support: Blinken meets with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday. The trip is part of an effort to send more diplomatic support to Ukraine amid ongoing tensions with Russia. Two days prior, a bipartisan group of senators met with Zelenskyy.

Blinken said Russia could soon double the 100-thousand troops already present along the Ukrainian border.

“The threat to Ukraine is unprecedented. So the president asked me to underscore once again our commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity, to its sovereignty, to its independence,” Blinken said.

The meeting came as the White House announced it was sending an additional $200 million to Ukraine should Russia invade.

“At the same time, we’ve made very clear to Moscow that if it chooses to renew aggression against Ukraine, it will be met, and it will face very severe consequences,” Blinken said. “And again, that’s coming not just from the United States, but from countries across Europe and beyond.”

“Your visit is very important,” Zelenskyy said. “It underlines once again your powerful support of our independency and sovereignty by the US. I’d like to say that we really appreciate our permanent contacts.”

Next, Blinken will go to Berlin to meet with European allies about Russia. Then on Friday, he will meet with his Russian counterpart but said he will not provide a written response to the security demands Russia requested last month.