Ukraine leader pushes for more arms; US officials to visit

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) —
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed the West for more powerful weapons as he prepared to meet with top U.S. officials in the war-torn country's capital Sunday.

Meanwhile, Russian forces are concentrating their attacks on the east, including trying to dislodge the last Ukrainian troops in the battered port of Mariupol.

Zelenskyy announced the planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a news conference Saturday night in a Kyiv subway station.

The White House has not commented.

Zelenskyy said he was looking for the Americans to produce results, both in arms and security guarantees.

"You can't come to us empty-handed today, and we are expecting not just presents or some kind of cakes, we are expecting specific things and specific weapons,″ he said.

The visit would be the first by senior U.S. officials since Russia invaded Ukraine 60 days ago.

Blinken stepped briefly onto Ukrainian soil in March to meet with the country's foreign minister during a visit to Poland. Zelenskyy's last face-to-face meeting with a U.S. leader was February 19 in Munich with Vice President Kamala Harris.

While the West has funneled military equipment to Ukraine, Zelenskyy has stressed repeatedly that the country needs more heavy weapons, including long-range air defense systems, as well as warplanes.

His meeting with Austin and Blinken was set to take place as Ukrainians and Russians observed Orthodox Easter, when the faithful celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Speaking from Kyiv's ancient St. Sophia Cathedral, Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, highlighted the significance of the occasion to a nation wracked by nearly two months of war.

“The great holiday today gives us great hope and unwavering faith that light will overcome darkness, good will overcome evil, life will overcome death, and therefore Ukraine will surely win!” he said.

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