Amid Russian threat, Blinken backs Ukrainian government in critical visit

Secretary of State Antony Blinken's day of meetings in Ukraine was meant to send a strong signal amid the "twin" threats of Russian aggression and corruption, he said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spent less than 24 hours on the ground in Ukraine's capital, but his day of meetings was meant to send a strong, important signal amid the "twin" threats of Russian aggression and corruption, he said. Ukraine is only the sixth country the top U.S. diplomat has visited -- before other key allies or even whole regions, and just over 100 days into the Biden administration. As Blinken put it before his meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, "I thought it was important as early as possible to come and say so in person" that President Joe Biden is committed to Ukraine. That message of strong support contrasts with the chaotic signals sent by former President Donald Trump, who tried to withhold lethal weapons and a White House meeting to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's government to announce investigations into then-candidate Biden, his son Hunter, and Hunter's role on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. That effort ultimately resulted in his first impeachment in late 2019.