U.S. to reopen Kyiv embassy soon, says Russia has failed in war aims

The United States promised on Monday to reopen its embassy in Kyiv soon, as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine's capital and hailed its success so far against Russia's invasion.

KYIV (Reuters) - The United States promised on Monday to reopen its embassy in Kyiv soon, as Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukraine's capital and hailed its success so far against Russia's invasion.

Both men said the fact they were able to come to Kyiv was proof of Ukraine's tenacity in forcing Moscow to abandon an assault on the capital last month, and promised more aid to fend off Russian troops now attempting an advance in the east. "What you've done in repelling the Russians in the battle of Kyiv is extraordinary and inspiring quite frankly to the rest of the world," Austin told President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a meeting overnight, after a train journey from Poland. "We are here to support you in any way possible."

Said Blinken: "The reason we're back is because of you, because of the extraordinary courage, leadership and success that you've had in pushing back this horrific Russian aggression."

U.S. officials said they pledged new assistance worth $713 million for Zelenskiy's government and other countries in the region. An extra $322 million in military aid for Ukraine would take total U.S. security assistance since the invasion to about $3.7 billion, one official said.

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