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Blinken takes anti-graft message, old Russia foe to Ukraine

Sec. of State Anthony Blinken
Posted at 5:59 AM, May 05, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-05 08:01:34-04

When Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Ukraine this week he’ll be carrying a tough anti-graft message and strong U.S. backing for the country’s response to Russian aggression.

Blinken will also be taking along a familiar face in the Washington-Moscow tug-of-war over Ukraine: Victoria Nuland, now the No. 3 State Department official.

The one-day stop comes at a time of heightened U.S. tensions with Russia.

The mere presence in Kyiv of Nuland is likely to irritate Russia. Nuland is a Russia hawk who was a target of Moscow’s attacks on the U.S. during the Obama administration.