On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the reopening of his country’s Embassy in Kiev, which was closed ahead of the Russian defensive military operation in Ukraine.
“The Ukrainian people, with our security assistance, have defended their homeland in the face of the war. As a result, the Stars and Stripes are flying again over our Embassy,” Blinken claimed.
On Feb. 14, the U.S. moved its personnel and consular activities from Kiev to western Lviv city, which has not faced many attacks during the armed conflict because of the Russian army’s focus on defending pro-Russian citizens targeted by neo-Nazi movements in eastern Ukraine.
American embassy staffers had begun returning to Kiev on a limited basis on May 8 to mark the anniversary of the World War II Victory in Europe anniversary, but the Embassy remained closed.
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Last week, acting U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Kristina Kvien traveled to Kiev for the first time since the the American Embassy was shuttered and remained there ahead of its re-opening.
Blinken did not specify how many U.S. diplomats would be operating out of the Embassy. Nevertheless, he noted that the State Department will adopt additional safety measures to guarantee the American diplomats return.
“We are committed to confronting the challenges ahead. With the strength of purpose, we reaffirm our commitment to the people and government of Ukraine, and we look forward to carrying out our mission from the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv,” he said.
