Blinken and Austin to visit Ukraine on Sunday, Zelensky says

According to Zelensky's statement Saturday, those discussions will take place between Ukrainian leadership, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Sunday.

"We will talk about the list of weapons we need and the pace of their supply. In recent weeks, the pace, the number—everything has improved. I'm grateful for that," Zelensky said, according to a translated press statement posted to Twitter.

The unconfirmed meeting would represent the highest-ranking of American diplomatic presence in Ukraine since the conflict in Eastern Europe began. It would follow the arrival of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Kyiv earlier this month. Other world leaders also have made arrangements to visit Ukraine such as United Nations chief Antonio Guterres who is expecting to travel there next week.

The State Department and the Pentagon have both declined to comment on requests from Axios to confirm Blinken and Austin's upcoming visit.

So far, Fox News reports that the US has spent an estimated $4 billion in security assistance to Ukraine's defenses since last August. $3.4 billion of funding has been allotted since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion.

In addition to the scheduled talks, the Biden administration has also recently approved an additional $800 million in military assistance for Ukraine this past Thursday, aimed at providing much-needed heavy artillery.