Ukraine says Blinken reaffirmed ‘ironclad’ US support in phone call

Ukrainian soldiers perform a rifle volley salute during a funeral ceremony in the town of Brovary, outside of Kyiv, on April 11, 2023, for the late Ukrainian serviceman Kostiantyn Starovytskyi, Kyiv's Opera conductor, killed in Donetsk region. (AFP)

• The US remains Ukraine's trustworthy partner, focused on advancing our victory and securing a just peace, said Ukraine's foreign minister

KYIV: Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured him in a phone call that Washington still backed Kyiv’s effort to win the war with Russia and rejected attempts to cast doubt on its military capacity.
The minister, Dmytro Kuleba, made the comment after a recent Washington Post report detailed a downbeat assessment by US intelligence officials of Kyiv’s potential to retake significant portions of Russian-occupied territory.
“During our call today, (Blinken) reaffirmed the ironclad US support and vehemently rejected any attempts to cast doubt on Ukraine’s capacity to win on the battlefield,” he tweeted.
“The US remains Ukraine’s trustworthy partner, focused on advancing our victory and securing a just peace.”
Ukraine’s military is widely expected to mount a counteroffensive in coming weeks against Russian forces.