US boosts military aid to Ukraine as Russia tensions soar

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — As U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Ukraine, the Biden administration said Wednesday it’s providing an additional $200 million in defensive military aid to the country amid soaring fears of a Russian invasion.

A senior U.S. State Department official said the assistance was approved in late December as part of American efforts to help Ukraine protect itself. Until Wednesday, however, the administration had refused to comment on it. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly before Blinken's meetings in Kyiv and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We are committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and will continue to provide Ukraine the support it needs,” the official said. The official did not detail the contents of the aid package.

The announcement came as Blinken opened a hastily arranged visit to Kyiv as he and other administration officials step up warnings about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. The White House said Tuesday that Russia could at any point launch an attack in Ukraine.

After his meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior Ukrainian officials and a short trip to Berlin for talks with German and other European allies on Thursday, Blinken will see his Russian counterpart in Geneva on Friday. That meeting is aimed at testing Russia's willingness to resolve the crisis diplomatically, officials said.

“We’re now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack in Ukraine," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday. "And what Secretary Blinken is going to go do is highlight very clearly there is a diplomatic path forward.”

The administration and its European allies have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of creating the crisis by massing...