Secretary Janice Yellen traveled to Ukraine to underscore the importance of the economic support the United States has provided to the beleaguered Ukrainian economy.
The surprise visit saw Yellen holding meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and attending a wreath-laying ceremony.
Throughout her visit, Yellen repeatedly assured her Ukrainian counterparts that the United States would remain a reliable partner in their defense against the Kremlin.
She opened her remarks to Zelenskyy by thanking him for the leadership he had “shown the world since the beginning of this illegal and unprovoked war.”
According to the former Federal Reserve Banker, Ukraine is the frontline of freedom. “Your people have paid an incredible price in that struggle,” said Yellen.
“I know that this fight has come at great cost to all of you,” she added. “Many of you have lost family members and close friends. Across Kyiv and Ukraine, we see evidence of the brutality of Putin’s military. The bombing of hospitals. The destruction of cultural sites. Deliberate attacks on civilian energy grids designed to cause widespread suffering in the middle of winter.”
“I bring to Kyiv a clear message from President Biden and the American people: ‘We will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,'” she pledged.
In her meeting with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Yellen said that from the earliest days of the war, the United States has “been proud to support Ukraine’s resistance as its largest bilateral donor.”
According to the Yellen, that patronage has amounted to $50 billion in security, economic, and humanitarian assistance. Of that total, she said, “the U.S. has provided over $14 billion in economic assistance” and pledged to provide at least $8 billion more in the coming months.
“We both know that effective military resistance on the front lines of this fight requires a functioning economy and government and continued essential public services like education, hospitals, and emergency response,” said Yellen.
During the wreath-laying ceremony, Yellen again reiterated that the United States was with Ukraine. “We will continue to work with our international coalition to provide military, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine,” she promised. “We will continue to impose severe costs on the Kremlin for its illegal war. As President Biden has said, we will stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
