U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Kyiv on Monday for an unannounced visit in a gesture of "unwavering" support as questions swirled over the sustainability of vital Western assistance as the war with Russia drags on, Reuters reports.
Austin, accompanied by the commander of the U.S. European Command, was shown next to a train shaking hands with the U.S. ambassador to Kyiv in a photograph published by the embassy.
U.S. ambassador to Kyiv Bridget Brink said the visit signalled Washington's "unwavering support to Ukraine in its fight for freedom".
Austin met Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and said the United States would continue to support Ukraine.
But the trip comes amid increasing division over aid for Ukraine in the U.S. legislature, with a U.S. presidential election in November next year.
