US envoy to UN meets Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Kyiv

Linda Thomas-Greenfield to observe efforts to preserve 'evidence of atrocities' committed by Russian forces

Linda Thomas-Greenfield visited Ukraine to reiterate America's continued support for its independence and territorial sovereignty. AFP

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US envoy to the UN, met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Tuesday to discuss the “unwavering US commitment” to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.

They discussed international efforts to minimise the “impact of Russia’s aggression on global food security, including through sustaining and expanding the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, and to ensure accountability for war crimes and atrocities perpetrated on the Ukrainian people”, a US readout of the meeting stated.

“I have seen a city and a country that is under attack,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield said after the meeting.

“This is a city where Russian bombs have rained down on apartments and hospitals, orphanages and playgrounds.

“And yet, what I have seen — and felt — during my visit here is not a city destroyed, but a city strengthened, determined to survive.”

As voters headed to the polls in America's midterm elections on Tuesday, questions swirled as to how long US support to Ukraine can last if the Republican Party wins control of Congress.

Some Republican candidates have said the US should spend the billions of dollars it is sending to Ukraine at home instead and Republican House Leader Kevin McCarthy has said there would no longer be a “blank check” for Ukraine if Republicans win the majority.

Smoke rises on the outskirts of the city during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Workers surround the Monument to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred with sandbags against damage from shelling in Mykolaiv. EPA

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev for talks before a meeting between the Russian president and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. AFP

People take water from a water pump in Kyiv. EPA

A woman walks past a damaged building in the town of Nova Kakhovka. Reuters

A woman outside her home, which was destroyed during battles at the start of the conflict, in Yahidne, Chernihiv. Getty Images

People shelter inside a subway station during a Russian missile attack in Kyiv. Reuters

Firefighters at the site of a drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A woman walks past the site of a Russian missile strike in the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. Reuters

Rescuer workers at a building destroyed in an attack in Mykolaiv. Reuters

Parts of a drone lie on a street in Kyiv. Reuters

A drone flies over the Ukrainian capital during an attack. AFP

Ukrainian servicemen tow a captured Russian armoured vehicle in Rudneve village, Kharkiv. EPA

A partially destroyed residential building in Saltivka, in Kharkiv. AP

Ukrainian servicemen fire a captured Russian howitzer on a front line near Kupyansk city, Kharkiv. EPA

Ukrainian servicemen near the recently retaken town of Lyman in Donetsk region. AFP

An officer from a Ukrainian national police emergency demining team prepares to detonate collected anti-tank mines and explosives near Lyman, in the Donetsk region. AFP

A boy playing on a destroyed Russian tank on display in Kyiv. AFP

A young couple hiding underground during an air alert in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Ukrainian firefighters looking for survivors after a strike in Zaporizhzhia. AFP

Workers fix a banner reading 'Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson - Russia!' to the State Historical Museum near Red Square in Moscow. AFP

Residents try to cross a destroyed bridge in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. AFP

Alyona Kishinskaya helps to clean up a shop as it prepares to reopen in Balakiya, Ukraine, after a six-month Russian occupation. Getty Images

Alla, 12, has a swinging time in Balakiya, Ukraine, as life goes on despite the war. Getty Images

Ukrainian flags in the town square in Balakiya. Getty Images

A destroyed Russian command centre in Izium, Ukraine. Getty Images

In what may be a final farewell, young Russian recruits - escorted by their wives - walk to a train station in Volgograd before being sent to war in Ukraine. AP

Russian recruits board the train to Ukraine in Volgograd. AP

Ukrainian soliders drive a tank at the recently retaken eastern side of the Oskil River in Kharkiv region, Ukraine. AFP

Volunteers pass boxes of food aid on a destroyed bridge over the Oskil River. AFP

Ukrainian soliders rest on an armoured personnel carrier. AFP

A sign warns of landmines in Izyum, eastern Ukraine. AFP

This crater was left after a missile strike in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. AFP

Still, a senior US official told reporters that Ms Thomas-Greenfield reassured Mr Zelenskyy that “there is strong bipartisan support to support the people of Ukraine in their time of need, and that support will continue as long as necessary”.

Moscow's war against Ukraine has prompted Ms Thomas-Greenfield and other diplomats to consider reforming the UN Security Council, where Russia is a permanent member and frequently wields its veto power.

The American diplomat last month backed President Joe Biden's call to expand the chamber.

On Tuesday, Ms Thomas-Greenfield announced $25 million in winterisation assistance to help vulnerable people in Ukraine survive the winter ahead.

“With winter fast approaching, we understand the importance of helping Ukraine keep homes warm and the power on,” she said during a visit to a collective centre housing internally displaced people in the Ukrainian city of Irpin.

The US envoy's trip to Ukraine comes a week after Mr Zelenskyy met National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, where an additional $400m security assistance package was announced.

Ms Thomas-Greenfield also toured a laboratory in Kyiv, where she saw how crime scene technicians are “meticulously examining war crimes scenes” and collecting necessary evidence.

“Their findings will be used by officials to build the case against the perpetrators of these horrifying atrocities,” the envoy said.