As President Joe Biden's secretary of state and Pentagon chief wrapped up a top-secret trip to Kyiv, the US announced increased military support and a renewed diplomatic drive in the war-torn country. 

        Top envoy Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told Ukraine's president, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, and his advisers that the US would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million ammunition sale during the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia's invasion in late February.

        They also said that Biden will shortly name his pick for ambassador to Ukraine, and that American diplomats who had fled the country before the fighting would begin returning this week. For the time being, the US Embassy in Kyiv will be shuttered. 

        Despite the fact that Zelenskyy declared on Saturday that he would meet with US officials in Kyiv on Sunday, the Biden administration refused to acknowledge it and refused to disclose the details of a prospective visit, despite the fact that preparations had been ongoing for more than a week.

        Journalists who accompanied Austin and Blinken to Poland were restricted from reporting on the trip until it was completed, from accompanying them on their overland trek into Ukraine, and from revealing where they waited for the Cabinet members to return in southeast Poland. Security concerns were raised by officials at the State Department and the Pentagon.

        Austin and Blinken announced $713 million in foreign military financing for Ukraine and 15 allies and partners, including $322 million allocated to Kyiv. According to authorities, the remaining funds would be distributed among NATO members and other countries that have supported Ukraine with crucial military equipment since the conflict with Russia began.

        This funding is distinct from prior American military support to Ukraine. It is not a gift of depleted US Defense Department stocks, but rather cash that nations might use to buy goods they may require.  According to authorities, the fresh funds, together with the sale of $165 million in non-US produced ammunition that is compatible with the Ukrainians' Soviet-era weaponry, bring the total amount of American military support to Ukraine to $3.7 billion since the invasion.

        The Americans had been warned by Zelenskyy not to arrive empty-handed. Officials from the United States said they hoped the extra support would meet at least part of the Ukrainians' urgent requests for greater assistance. According to authorities, new artillery, including howitzers, is being sent at a quick speed to Ukraine's military, which is being educated on how to use it in neighboring nations.

        On the diplomatic front, Blinken informed Zelenskyy that Biden will nominate Bridget Brink, an experienced diplomat, as the next US ambassador to Ukraine. Brink, a career foreign service officer, has been the ambassador to Slovakia since 2019. She formerly worked for the White House National Security Council and in Serbia, Cyprus, Georgia, and Uzbekistan. The position needs Senate confirmation in the United States.

        Blinken also reminded Ukraine's foreign minister that the now-defunct US Embassy in Kyiv's tiny personnel, which has relocated to Poland from temporary quarters in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, will start making day excursions to Lviv in the coming days. The US has hastened its examination of security circumstances in the capital, according to officials, and the State Department will reopen the embassy there as soon as the situation permits.

        For the havoc and death imposed on Ukraine, Biden has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of genocide. Biden said on Thursday that he would offer Ukraine with a fresh $800 million military aid package that includes heavy artillery and drones. Last month, Congress authorized $6.5 billion in military aid as part of a $13.6 billion budget for Ukraine and its allies in reaction to Russia's incursion.

        Blinken will return to Washington from Poland, while Austin will travel to Ramstein, Germany, for a conference of NATO military ministers and other donor nations on Tuesday. Officials said the debate will focus on battlefield reports from the ground, increased security support for Ukraine, and Europe's longer-term defense priorities, particularly how to increase military production to cover gaps produced by the conflict in Ukraine. Representatives from more than 20 countries are slated to attend the summit.

        Zelenskyy, Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Defense Minister Olexiy Reznikov, Ambassador Oskana Markarova, presidential administration head Andriy Yermak, chief of defense Valerii Zaluzhnyi, and Andrii Sybiya of Zelenskyy's office were among the Ukrainian officials there. Along with Blinken and Austin, State Department deputy chief of staff Tom Sullivan, senior military assistant Lt. Gen. Randy George, and Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Laura Cooper represented the United States.