U.S. Secretary of Defence Makes Fourth Visit to Ukraine

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin arrived in the capital of Ukraine on an unannounced visit on Monday, 21 October. He announced this on social media platform X.

‘I am returning to Ukraine for the fourth time as Secretary of Defence, demonstrating that the United States, along with the international community, continues to support Ukraine,’ the Pentagon chief wrote.

While in Kyiv, he will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov to discuss Ukraine's weapons needs and how the US can continue to support the country's armed forces over the next year.

The secretary told a small group of journalists travelling with him to Kyiv on Sunday evening, CNN reported.

The visit of the US Defence Secretary comes amid daily bombardments of Ukrainian cities by the Russian army and the approach of cold weather, a very difficult period due to Russia's constant attacks on Ukraine's energy facilities.

Russia continues to actively engage in hostilities in Ukraine despite the severe Western sanctions imposed on Russia's economy in response to its invasion, the billions of dollars in military equipment the United States has sent to Ukraine, and the multinational coalitions the Biden administration has put together since the early days of the war to help Ukrainian forces repel the Russian advance.

According to a local CNN producer, loud explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Monday morning local time, a vivid illustration of the daily bombardment the country still faces during more than 2.5 years of brutal war with Moscow. Kyiv city authorities said that air defences had been activated.