US debated canceling a secret visit to Ukraine after Zelenskyy let slip that Blinken was traveling to Kyiv, report says

• The US debated axing a top level trip to Kyiv after Zelenskyy revealed the plan, NBC News said.
• Zelenskyy said Saturday he was to meet Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin in Kyiv on Sunday.

The US debated scrapping a top level visit to Ukraine after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unexpectedly revealed the secret plan, NBC News reported.

During one of his regular broadcasts on Saturday, Zelenskyy said he would be meeting Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Kyiv the following day.

At the time, the US had released no information about the visit, as is common when top US officials travel to sensitive or dangerous locations.

The meeting ultimately went ahead, but Zelenskyy's disclosure meant officials in Washington, DC, considered abandoning the trip as its safety may have been compromised, US officials told NBC News.

The meeting with Zelenskyy lasted three hours, NBC News reported. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov were also present, Reuters reported.

Blinken and Austin flew from the US to Ukraine's neighbor Poland, and from there travelled to Kyiv by train.

Journalists travelling with the pair were forbidden from reporting the existence of the trip until Blinken and Austin were safely back in Poland, The Associated Press reported.

Speaking to reporters upon their return to Poland, Blinken said it was important to finally sit down in person with Zelenskyy.

"We had an opportunity to demonstrate directly our strong ongoing support for the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people," Blinken said.

"This was, in our judgment, an important moment to be there, to have face-to-face conversations in detail."

Ahead of the visit, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was asking for more heavy weapons from the US.

"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.

During the press conference Blinken added that the US is pledging an extra $713 million in aid for Ukraine and its neighbors. The US has repeatedly ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine.

Speaking after Blinken, Austin said: "Our focus in the meeting was to talk about those things that would enable us to win the current fight and also build for tomorrow."

Austin added that Ukraine can win the war with Russia if it gets the military assistance it demands.

In recent weeks a string of European leaders have visited Kyiv and Zelenskyy. However, despite calls from Zelenskyy, the White House says President Joe Biden currently has no plans to visit.