U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will announce more than $1 billion in new aid for Ukraine during his visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, September 6, CNN reports, citing a senior State Department official.
According to CNN, the US Secretary of State arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday to meet with key Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
The TV channel also notes that Blinken’s visit is an opportunity for the United States and Ukraine to unite ahead of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) later this month, a senior State Department official traveling with Blinken told reporters.
“The Ukrainians have an important mission in New York – to continue to explain to their allies and partners around the world what’s going on and their continued need for support. And it is important for us to continue to lead this global effort to support them. Being able to consult and agree before we get to New York is very, very important,” the official said.
According to media reports, Blinken arrived in Kyiv on Wednesday morning after an overnight train ride from Poland. This is his third visit to the Ukrainian capital since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The Danish government proposes to increase aid for Ukraine’s civil needs from DKK 1.2 billion to DKK 1.5 billion next year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.
“Denmark will increase the scope of assistance for the development of Ukraine, which will again become the largest recipient country of Danish aid. In the Finance Law for 2024, the government proposes to increase from DKK 1.2 billion to DKK 1.5 billion (about $43.5 million) allocated for the civil needs of Ukraine and the countries of the Eastern Neighborhood within the Ukraine Fund of Ukraine,” the Danish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Minister for International Development and Global Climate Policy Dan Jørgensen noted that “assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people is a top priority for the government.”
“Therefore, this year we again allocate a record high amount to civilian needs in order to continue to provide important support and help overcome the difficult consequences of the war. Ukraine’s recovery will be long, and the needs are huge,” the minister stressed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicates that the assistance will be aimed at providing emergency assistance to the victims of the war, as well as restoring the most important infrastructure of Ukraine.
“At the request of Ukraine itself, the government has taken on special responsibility for the city of Mykolaiv and its restoration. In Mykolaiv, Denmark is helping provide better access to water and heat, as well as restoring and repairing residential areas, schools and medical facilities,” the Danish ministry notes.
In addition, Denmark will assist countries such as Georgia and Moldova by accelerating the reforms and large-scale democratization processes they face as the consequences of the Russian invasion extend to neighboring countries with Ukraine, “which are suffering from Russian influence, the reception of Ukrainian refugees and power supply problems.”
Japan will provide up to $7 billion in aid to Ukraine, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, speaking online at the 3rd Summit of the International Crimean Platform in Kyiv.
“Japan will continuously provide (Ukraine – IF-U) with a variety of assistance in the amount of up to $7 billion, depending on the needs,” he said.
In addition, Japan will use its experience and expertise in post-war reconstruction and disaster recovery to provide assistance, he said.
Kishida reiterated that Japan has consistently supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, and will continue to work closely with the international community, particularly the G-7 countries, and join sanctions against Russia to provide continued support to Ukraine.
“I visited Kyiv and Bucha in March of this year and witnessed the tragedy with my own eyes. This confirmed my belief that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is an extraordinary act that violates the foundations of the international order,” he said.
As Kishida emphasized, “Japan is on the side of the people of Ukraine to ensure peace and bring it back to the beautiful Ukrainian land.”
The Republic of Korea will increase military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine in 2023, Korean President Yoon Seok-yol said at a briefing after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday in Kiev.
“Last year we provided both body armor, helmets and other necessary ammunition. We hope that this year the level of our assistance will be much higher,” he said.
According to the President, “in May, President Zelensky and I agreed to supply the necessary equipment for such purposes as, for example, humanitarian demining, and we continue to do so. The government of the Republic of Korea allocated last year 100 million dollars in support of Ukraine. This year, that support will amount to 150 million dollars.”
“We also plan to increase aid to Ukraine to rebuild the education system. Last year…we decided to help rebuild destroyed schools. Also, we would like to provide Ukraine with support for future generations through the two presidents’ scholarship,” Yoon Seok Yol said.
According to him, “the situation in Ukraine now is similar to the situation in Korea 70 years ago.” “About 70 years ago, the Republic of Korea was also illegally invaded by North Korea. About 90% of our Korean territory was occupied and we faced the threat of extinction as a state. However, thanks to our military and civilians who helped them as much as possible, we were able to stop the occupier and kick them out of our land,” the president said.
“We have familiarized ourselves with the Formula for Peace that was provided to us and we do believe that it needs to be implemented. Especially since Korea is trying to play a mediating role in peace summits and meetings of countries belonging to the so-called Global South,” the Korean president also said.
A two-day EU summit will open Thursday in Brussels.
“We will reaffirm even more decisively our commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, including through sustained financial and military assistance. We must also discuss how to further strengthen international support for the Ukrainian peace formula,” European Council President Charles Michel wrote in an invitation letter to EU heads of state and government for the European summit.
The meeting of the European Council may also touch upon the latest developments in Russia in connection with the discussion of Ukraine. This issue was not raised during preparations for the summit, so there are “high expectations” from its consideration, a high-ranking EU official who commented on the agenda on condition of anonymity on the eve of the meeting told reporters.
At the same time, the source said the EU will continue to work on how to use frozen Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine. However, he stressed, it is a complex and ambiguous issue.
“There will be a debate. I don’t know what the outcome will be. In any case, the topic is very controversial, very technical, and there are a whole series of side effects,” the EU functionary continued.
He said tackling it requires caution and coordination with G7 countries because “it seems simple, but there are a number of consequences.”
“We can’t do whatever we want. You can’t take (other people’s) money and put it in your wallet. We abide by the principles of the rule of law. When assets are frozen, you have to be able to get them back as soon as the incriminating behavior stops. So you have to be able to get that money back: the whole asset and the interest on it,” explained the senior source.
“That’s why it’s difficult,” he said, adding that such sanctions are a signal to everyone, including investors, and some investors will wonder what could happen to their funds if they get on the sanctions list. “So you have to think about the side effects of these measures,” the journalist’s interlocutor said.
The European official pointed to the legal complexities of the problem, explaining that an ill-considered decision could be made and then lawsuits would follow, and that would defeat the purpose sought.
Michel, in his message to EU leaders, also said: “Our meeting will be preceded by a lunch with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, with whom we can exchange views on global and European security.”
The president of the European Council recalled that in Versailles in 2022, the leaders of the EU member states “decided to take on greater responsibility for European security and defense.” Now, he said, “it is time to assess what we have achieved and to discuss how to speed up our work in order to meet our commitments.”
The European Council meeting will include an exchange of views on the economic situation of the union. “I would like us to assess progress in improving our competitiveness, strengthening our economic base and enhancing our economic security and sustainability, reflecting on further actions that may be needed,” Michel wrote in an invitation letter.
EU leaders will address the migration situation. Mentioning the recent tragic migrant shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea, the president of the European Council called it “a stark reminder that we must continue to work tirelessly to solve the European migration problem.”
EU heads of state and government will once again turn their attention to the PRC. “Regarding China, we will give further guidance after our debate in October and the debate held by the foreign ministers in May. This will be an opportunity to reaffirm our unified position on China,” Michel noted.
He listed a number of other foreign policy issues that he believes deserve the attention of the European Union’s top leadership. These include the upcoming European Union-Latin America and Caribbean Community summit, EU relations with partners in the southern neighborhood and developments in the Western Balkans.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced another package of military support to Ukraine worth 110 million Australian dollars (about $74 million), local media reported.
The new package will include 70 pieces of equipment, including 28 M113 armored vehicles, 14 special-purpose vehicles, 28 MAN 40M medium trucks and 14 trailers.
Kiev will also receive a significant supply of 105mm artillery shells.
In addition, Canberra will provide 10 million Australian dollars to the United Nations to meet Ukraine’s humanitarian needs.
The prime minister stressed that Australia would support Ukraine for as long as necessary.
