DNIPRO, Ukraine — U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken declared Monday that “Russia is failing” in its war aims, as new fighting flared in Ukraine’s eastern battle zone and Russian forces reportedly aimed a round of airstrikes at railway facilities in the country’s west and center.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, who traveled with Blinken to the Ukrainian capital to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday, added that Washington wanted not only to see Ukraine repel Moscow’s forces but also to see Russia “weakened to the point” where it cannot mount such aggression again.
Blinken and Austin made their remarks to reporters after crossing into Poland from Ukraine, following the first official U.S. visit to Kyiv since the war began two months ago. In a show of support, the two announced a fresh infusion of $300 million in military aid and a revived U.S. diplomatic presence in Ukraine.
