Blinken takes a surprise trip to Ukraine in the middle of the campaign to defend Kharkiv

Secretary of State Antony Blinken took a surprise trip to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine this Tuesday. He will meet with officials from Zelensky's government. The Biden administration wants to send a message of support to Ukraine, which currently claims to need more help to repel a Russian offensive campaign in the northeast region of Kharkiv.

This is also the first visit by such a high-ranking member of the Biden administration since the military aid package for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel was passed.

A total of $65 billion in aid was allocated to Ukraine. The package ran into strong opposition in Congress, where Republican and Democratic leaders could not reach a necessary consensus. Iran's attack against Israel on April 13 motivated certain legislators to change their position due to the urgency of the situation.

This is the fourth time that Blinken has visited Ukraine since the start of the war in 2022. According to the agencies present in Kiev, he is scheduled to meet with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. "First this trip is to send a strong signal of reassurance to the Ukrainians who are obviously in a very difficult moment, not only because of the intensified fighting on the eastern front, but also because the Russians are now expanding their cross-border attacks in Kharkov," said the secretary of state in statements collected by AFP upon his arrival by train in Kiev.

From Washington, the State Department adds that Blinken will meet with the Ukrainian government to receive first-hand updates on the situation on the battlefields. He will also witness firsthand the impact of American donations on bolstering the country's defense against advancing Russian troops.

Offensive in Kharkiv

As Blinken visits Kiev, the battle for Kharkiv rages on. Late last week, Russia initiated a combined offensive to push into the Kharkiv region, located in northeastern Ukraine and adjacent to Russia's Belgorod region.

After several days of intensified bombing, the Russian command ordered the ground assault using infantry and its mechanized units. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has stated that its defense line in the region remains intact. However, Russian forces have already penetrated several miles into Ukrainian territory.

Russia managed to take several border towns such as Krasne and Strilecha. Last Friday, Ukrainian authorities ordered civilians to evacuate from the region.

Putin to travel to China

On Tuesday, it became known that Russian President Vladimir Putin will officially travel to China, the second visit to China in less than six months. It will take place next Thursday.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the visit is at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, who has just returned from a state visit to France. This is Putin's first trip since his re-election.

The international context and the two leaders' recent contacts with other leaders suggest that the meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping will focus especially on the geopolitical future of both nations and the war in Ukraine;

"President Xi Jinping will exchange views with President Putin on bilateral relations, cooperation in various fields and international and regional issues of common interest," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a news conference, according to AFP.

For its part, the Kremlin said the two presidents would discuss their "global partnership and strategic cooperation."