Russian shelling hit a crowded market in the Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka, killing at least 16 people, as the US secretary of state,In the hours prior to Blinken’s arrival in the Ukrainian capital,“It was clearly meant as a greeting to Blinken,” Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, told the Guardian. He said Russia had used Iskander missiles in the attack, which was thwarted by Ukrainian air defences.
In Kyiv, Blinken met his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, and was due to have discussions with Zelenskiy. The two-day visit will include an overnight stay in the Ukrainian capital.of $175m-$200m during his visit, AP reported, with a larger package worth more than $1bn expected later this week, according to a senior state department official.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s parliament approved the appointment of Rustem Umerov as new defence minister. He replaces Oleksiy Reznikov, who was sacked after a number of corruption scandals linked to the defence ministry. Reznikov is tipped to become ambassador to Britain. In a statement posted to Facebook, Umerov promised to do “everything possible and impossible” to bring about Ukraine’s victory.
“I understand that the further away you are from the war, sitting in your office, the better you understand the war, and if you’re 10,000 kilometres away then it’s the best place to understand what is happening,” said Podolyak, in a sarcastic aside.