KYIV ā U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit Monday, hours after a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian capital and as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushes Western partners to keep providing military support for the war.
Austin said on the X platform that his fourth visit shows āthat the United States, alongside the international community, continues to stand by Ukraine.ā
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Ukraine is having difficulty holding back a ferocious Russian campaign along the eastern front that is gradually compelling Kyivās forces to give up a series of towns, villages and hamlets.
Zelenskyy is urging Western allies to support his so-called āvictory planā to end the almost three-year war, which is Europeās biggest conflict since World War II and has cost tens of thousands of lives on both sides, including many civilians.
His strategy includes a formal invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and permission to use Western long-range missiles to strike military targets in Russia ā steps Kyivās allies have previously balked at supporting.
The Western response has been lukewarm, and Austin was expected to discuss the plan with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said in a Sunday evening video address that his plan had won the backing of France, Lithuania, Nordic countries and āmany other alliesā in the European Union which he didnāt name.
The key country, however, is the United States, which is Ukraineās biggest military supplier.
Zelenskyy said he had received āvery positive signals from the United States,ā but he stopped short of saying he had secured Washingtonās endorsement for the plan.
Russia fired three missiles and 116 Shahed drones at Ukraine overnight from Sunday to Monday, Ukraine's air force said.
Machine gun fire and the noise of dronesā engines was heard in Kyivās center throughout the night. Authorities reported minor damages to civilian infrastructure caused by falling drone debris in the three districts of the city.
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Follow APās coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine