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Transcript/ScriptUS – Russia-Ukraine
HEADLINE: US Cabinet Officials Pledge More Military, Diplomatic Assistance to Ukraine
TEASER: White House promises long-term commitment to Ukraine after high-stakes visit by secretaries of State and Defense
PUBLISHED AT: 04/25/2022 at 10:06 pm
BYLINE: Anita Powell
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: the White House
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, MPage
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, AFP Reuters, ZOOM (WITH LICENSE), Skype
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 2:48
VID APPROVED BY: wpm
TYPE:
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO:))
[[ In the highest-profile U.S. visit since the war began, two of President Joe Biden’s top Cabinet members visited Ukraine’s capital to offer President Volodymyr Zelenskyy another large arms package and to announce a new top U.S. diplomat — as Russia continues its deadly advance. This report from VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell.]]
((NARRATOR))
Guns or diplomacy?
Why not both?
That’s what two of President Joe Biden’s top Cabinet members offered Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the highest-profile U.S. visit to Kyiv since the war began in late February.
Ahead of the Sunday visit, Zelenskyy warned the officials to not show up empty-handed.
They didn’t. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced $713 million in military financing for Ukraine and 15 allied and partner countries.
And Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. would reopen its shuttered Kyiv embassy. Biden on Monday announced a nominee for ambassador, who now faces congressional approval.
((Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President)) ((in Ukranian?))
"Today in Kyiv, at such a crucial, important moment for our state, I am very thankful that the United States of America is really helping Ukraine. I would also like to thank President (Joe) Biden personally for his personal support of Ukraine."
((NARRATOR))
Blinken said the visit came at a key junction in this conflict, now in its eighth week.
((Antony Blinken, Secretary of State))
“This was, in our judgment, an important moment to be there. An important moment for Ukraine, for the war, an important moment to have face-to-face conversations in detail about the extraordinary support that we provided — security, economic, humanitarian — as well as the massive pressure that we've been exerting on Russia and then to talk in detail about how we carry that forward across all of those fronts.”
((NARRATOR))
But analysts say this visit lags behind those of other European leaders.
[[Radio: Dalibor Rohac is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute]]
((Dalibor Rohac, American Enterprise Institute)) ((Skype))
“Some other European countries have already moved their embassy back to Kyiv. In an ideal world, you would want to see America, you know, at the forefront of these efforts, not being the first first, you know, embassy to leave Ukraine, as it did before the conflict and being among the last to return.”
((NARRATOR))
Other analysts say the diplomatic announcement was crucial.
[[Radio: Andrew Lohsen is a fellow in the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.]]
((Andrew Lohsen, Center for Strategic and International Studies)) ((Zoom))
"One of the more substantial things that came out of this meeting is the fact that the United States has indicated that it's preparing to send diplomats back to Ukraine. Even on a short-term basis, sending diplomats on overnight missions, overnight trips to Lviv to staff up a consulate there — that's a real tremendous show of support to the Ukrainian government, to the Ukrainian people, that the U.S. commitment is still there.”
((NARRATOR))
The White House said Monday that the assistance would continue but might vary as the conflict progresses.
[[Radio: White House press secretary Jen Psaki]]
((Jen Psaki, White House Press Secretary))
“In terms of what the next package will look like and what will be passed, I mean, those are discussions and recommendations that the president will get from his military leaders, and we'll have those discussions with Congress, and I'm not in a position to put a cap on it at this point in time.”
((Return to Zelenskyy at the Blinken-Austin meeting: AP-4377001))
((NARRATOR))
But when will it end? That’s not clear, but Zelenskyy’s parting plea to the Americans was. The U.S. he said, needs to be “a leader among the future guarantors of our country's security.”
((Anita Powell, VOA News, The White House))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
the White House
Embargo DateApril 26, 2022 00:06 EDT
Byline
((Anita Powell, VOA News, The White House))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
