Janet Yellen makes surprise visit to Ukraine to push economic aid

Unannounced trip comes a week after President Joe Biden made trip to Kyiv and pledged $500m in additional military support

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen prepares to lay a wreath at the memorial wall in Kyiv. AP

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday to reaffirm US support for the struggle against Russia's invasion and promote US aid to bolster Ukraine's war effort.

Ms Yellen met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other government officials a matter of days into the war's second year, repeating US assurances delivered by President Joe Biden a week ago in the Ukrainian capital.

"I bring to Kyiv a clear message from President Biden and the American people: we will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes," said Ms Yellen.

"We are matching our words with actions. The US is proud to be Ukraine’s largest bilateral donor."

To date, the US has provided close to $50 billion in assistance to Ukraine.

Ms Yellen reaffirmed that the support is not “charity", rather "an investment in global security and democracy".

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who also met Ms Yellen, said the two had discussed further US sanctions on Russia aimed at weakening its economy and military and "confiscating frozen Russian assets and putting them to the benefit of the recovery of Ukraine".

But Ms Yellen said there were still significant legal obstacles to fully seizing the $300 billion in Russian central bank assets frozen by sanctions.

Ms Yellen also announced the transfer of the first $1.25 billion from the latest $9.9 billion tranche of assistance from Washington.

In a private meeting with Mr Zelenskyy late in the afternoon, the Treasury chief said she had commended him "for his leadership and resolve in the face of Russia's illegal and unprovoked war".

The Treasury said Ms Yellen welcomed the Ukrainian President's actions to strengthen government and address corruption — actions needed to ensure US economic aid is spent responsibly.

Ms Yellen's visit comes a week after Mr Biden made a similarly unannounced trip to Kyiv and promised $500 million in additional military aid for Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia announced days later.

Shortly before her arrival in the capital, the city's air raid sirens rang out as a warning of a possible attack, although they often turn out to be false alarms.

Ms Yellen laid a wreath at a memorial wall for Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war, saying: "I am witnessing first-hand the devastating toll of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s brutal war."

US President Joe Biden in surprise visit to Kyiv - in pictures

Reuters contributed to this report