US' Blinken visits Kiev amidst failing offensive, Zelensky claims coincidental bombing of Donetsk market that killed 17 that same day was Russia

Mukul Sharma
WION
Wed, 06 Sep 2023 07:15 UTC

© Reuters

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba greets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken before a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv, Ukraine on September 6, 2023

In Kyiv's corridors of power, Blinken's visit attained significance after the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Aleksey Danilov claimed that a third world war is already underway.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on a day when Russia was accused of attacking a market town in the contested Donetsk region which Russia claims to have taken over from Ukrainian control. Blinken's visit comes during Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive against Russian forces which has failed to give required dividends.

Comment: Russia bombed a market in a region it controls amidst a war which it is winning the same day the international media have all eyes on Kiev during a visit from a US official? OR, the Kiev junta bombed a market in Russian held territory, populated by Russians, just prior to the visit of the US Sec of State in a sinister bid to elicit sympathy and smear Russia, whilst it demands that American taxpayers pay it billions of dollars more in order to keep its failing proxy war going?

In Kyiv's corridors of power, Blinken's visit attained significance after the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Aleksey Danilov claimed that a third world war is already underway.

"If somebody thinks that World War III hasn't started then it's a huge mistake. It has already begun. It had been underway in a hybrid period for some time and has now entered an active phase," he said at the Kiev Security Forum on Tuesday, September 5.

Blinken's Ukraine visit: What is expected?

During his two-day stay, Blinken is expected to unveil a new US wartime aid package of at least $1 billion, according to a senior state department official cited by Reuters.

Blinken engaged in discussions with foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba and had a meeting scheduled with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

"We want to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs not only to succeed on the counteroffensive, but [also] in the long term," Blinken said while speaking to the journalists alongside Kuleba.

Comment: Kiev has already defrauded the US of many billions of dollars, 1 billion more won't last very long.

Reports in the media have mentioned unidentified US officials criticising the sluggish pace and flawed tactics of Ukraine's counteroffensive, sparking tensions and prompting Kuleba to respond bluntly.

Kremlin's reaction

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed skepticism about US aid impacting Russia's offensive.

Opposition to aid for Ukraine has risen, leading to the dismissal of Ukraine's defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, who was replaced by Crimean-origin Rustem Umerov as his successor.

Despite 'unwavering' US support for Ukraine since Russia began its offensive in February 2022, some Republican presidential candidates, especially former President Donald Trump have questioned the level of aid, raising concerns about future support as the 2024 U.S. election campaign approaches.

So far, the US has supplied more than $43 billion in military assistance to Ukraine, with a new security aid package set to be announced soon, as per Reuters.

In August, the US President Joe Biden sought congressional approval for approximately $40 billion in additional spending, including $24 billion for Ukraine and other international needs.

Comment: WION reports on the market blast:

Zelensky claims Russian strike kills at least 17 in east Ukraine market

Zelensky said on social media: "At this moment, the artillery of Russian terrorists has killed 16 people in the city of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region. A regular market. Shops. A pharmacy. People who did nothing wrong. Many wounded. (sic)"

Zelensky and Prime Minister Denys Shmygal posted security camera footage of the strike. In the video, residents can be seen running for cover and sending off car alarms. Officials said that one child was among the dead.

In a post on social media, Ukraine's interior ministry Igor Klymenko said that around 28 were injured.

Kostyantynivka is a frontline town of an estimated 70,000 people in the eastern industrial region of Donetsk, which has been the epicentre of fighting since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine was bombing the civilians of Donetsk even prior to the conflict.

Donetsk has been partially controlled by Kremlin-backed separatists since 2014 and Russia claimed to have annexed the region alongside three others late last year.

Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.

Ukraine's new defence minister

Rustem Umerov, Ukraine's newly appointed defence minister, vowed to recapture all territory under Russian military control, in his first comments in the new role.

Lawmakers had earlier approved Umerov, a Crimean Tatar, as Kyiv's new defence minister after his name was put forward by Zelensky.

"I will do everything possible and impossible for the victory of Ukraine -- when we liberate every centimetre of our country and every one of our people," Umerov said in a post on social media.

"We will return normal and dignified life to Ukrainian cities, which are unfortunately temporarily occupied. We know that people there are waiting for us," he added.

17 people lost their lives to a UKRAINIAN missile in Konstantinovka. Russia had nothing to do with it.

- the missile came from the northwest, which is evidenced by the direction people turn to when it flies in

- everything northwest of Konstantinovka is entirely controlled by Ukraine

- northwest of Konstantinovka is also where Druzhkovka is located, over which locals reported the launch of missiles by Ukrainian aircraft just minutes before the strike

- the area over Druzhkovka, Kramatorsk and Konstantinovka is regularly used by the Ukrainian Air Force to launch missiles towards Donetsk, with the exact trajectory this missile had. They mostly launch old HARM anti-radar missiles donated from expired US stocks, which are known to malfunction and regularly appear unexploded in random locations inside Donetsk Ukrainian aircraft also occasionally launch Storm Shadow missiles, though they're rarer and generally much less prone to malfunctioning. I'm of course extrapolating that the strike at civilians was unintentional, which is sadly not a certainty given Kiev's history of manufacturing and exploiting atrocity propaganda to lubricate military and financial aid from its Western backers. This strike also coincided with an unexpected visit to Ukraine by the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.