Blinken arrives in Ukraine as Russian offensive mounts

Summary

1. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Ukraine as weapons from a new American aid package begin arriving at the front line
2. The visit comes as the country struggles to hold back a major Russian incursion near its second biggest city of Kharkiv
3. The cross-border offensive in Kharkiv region is one of the most significant Russian ground attacks since the start of the war
4. The top US diplomat, who arrived in Kyiv by sleeper train, is expected to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials
5. Blinken will deliver a message of "strong reassurance" to the Ukrainians "in a difficult moment", US officials say
6. The secretary of state's arrival marks three weeks since the US Congress finally agreed a new $61bn (£49bn) aid package for Ukraine
7. A senior US official says the American-funded weapons now arriving at the front line include air defence interceptors, artillery and ATACMS long-range precision guided missiles