Blinken meets Ukrainian Foreign Minister, underscores support for Kyiv's economic recovery

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Tuesday, met his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in London during his visit to the UK and underscored Washington DC support for Kyiv's economic recovery.

In a statement, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "Secretary of State Antony J Blinken met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba today in London on the margins of the Ukraine Recovery Conference.

Secretary Blinken underscored the United States' support for Ukraine's economic recovery and the importance of continued close collaboration through the Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform." Blinken also noted the US commitment to working with the private sector to enable Ukraine's modernization and revitalization.

"They discussed the need for Ukraine to continue to implement reforms in order to establish an environment for investment and sustained economic growth. The Secretary briefed the Foreign Minister on his trip to the People's Republic of China and discussions with officials there about Russia's war in Ukraine. They also discussed the United States continued economic and energy support and security assistance for Ukraine," Miller added.

In a joint conference, according to the State Department, Blinken said that to support Ukraine, over 50 countries came together. The nations came ahead to "help Ukraine rebuild so much of what has been destroyed by the Russian aggression, to make sure it emerges from this aggression is not only successful on the battlefield but also successful in having a strong economy integrated with Europe, with investment coming in, and with all of the necessary efforts being made to strengthen its democracy and to help it be inviting place for business - all of that is what we're here to work on, to talk about."

"And I think it's a demonstration with more than 50 countries, Dmytro, of the powerful and enduring support for Ukraine, not only militarily but also economically and also in everything we're trying to do to build the strongest possible democracy. So we're very pleased to be part of this and very pleased that Ukraine and our friends here are hosting this conference," he added.

In London, the Secretary is expected to attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference to help mobilize international support from the public and private sectors to help Ukraine recover from Russia's brutal and ongoing attacks. While there, he also met with counterparts from the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and other partners and allies.