US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen arrived on an unannounced advance visit to Ukraine to reaffirm US support for Kiev in its war with Russia, Reuters reported.

All about the topic:

Russian invasion of Ukraine 9660

Yellen met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and other key government officials just days after the first anniversary of the start of the war and repeated assurances given last week by President Joe Biden in Kiev.

America will support Ukraine as long as it takes, Yellen told Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal.

He, for his part, stated that the two discussed the tightening of American sanctions against Russia, as well as "the seizure of frozen Russian assets and their use for the needs of the reconstruction of Ukraine."

But Yellen told reporters during a telephone briefing that there were still significant legal obstacles to fully seizing the Russian central bank's $300 billion in sanctions-free assets.

The world has seen the heroic strength of the Ukrainian people.

They are standing resolute in their fight for freedom amid a terrible war.

And let me be clear – our support for Ukraine will be lasting.

pic.twitter.com/iLlV8eFdCs

— Secretary Janet Yellen (@SecYellen) February 27, 2023

Yellen also announced the provision of the first 1.25 billion dollars from the next tranche of financial-economic aid from Washington to Ukraine worth 9.9 billion dollars.

The U.S. Treasury Department said that during her meeting with Zelensky, Yellen praised him for his "leadership and resolve in the face of Russia's illegal and unprovoked war."

The agency adds that in the conversation, Yellen also welcomed the actions of the Ukrainian president to improve the administrative management of Ukraine and fight corruption - measures necessary as a guarantee that American economic aid will be spent responsibly.

The US Treasury Department also announced that Yellen had supported Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko to implement a "fully funded and appropriately conditioned" program for Ukraine with the International Monetary Fund by the end of March.

She praised Marchenko's work to stabilize the Ukrainian economy and "maintain the focus on economic reforms against the backdrop of Russia's unprovoked and brutal war."

Yellen has also expressed support for the creation of an interagency donor coordination platform for Ukraine to help the country meet its near-term recovery needs and for future recovery with international partners.

Russian invasion of Ukraine