Thanks for joining us as Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Ukraine.

We're closing this page now - but you can read the latest on this story here.

Here's a reminder of what he said during his speech just moments ago.

• Blinken sought to reassure Ukrainians with a direct-to-camera message: "You are not alone. We are with you today and we will stay by your side"
• He noted that his visit came at a "critical moment" - amid a fresh Russian offensive which he said had been aided by North Korea, Iran and China
• He described Ukraine's recent mobilisation reforms as "a difficult decision but a necessary one", lauding all those who have stepped up to serve their country
• Crediting their ability to deny Vladimir Putin "his goal of erasing Ukraine from the map", Blinken said the US would continue to stave off that possibility, including by "bringing Ukraine closer to and then into Nato"
• He also vowed to "make Russia pay for Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction", in part by seizing and immobilising Russia's overseas assets
• Blinken concluded by hailing Ukraine for "moving forward" while its neighbour was "going back in time", adding that Putin had underestimated their fierce spirit and would as a result ultimately fail

"Russia is going back in time. Ukraine is moving forward," Blinken says towards the end of his remarks.

He adds that the Russian leader has "always underestimated" what Ukrainians have understood: "the fierceness with which free people will defend their right to continue living freely".

The US secretary of state says: "The spirit of Ukrainians cannot be destroyed by a bomb or buried in a mass grave, it cannot be bought with a bribe or repressed with a threat.

"It is pure, it is unbreakable and it is why Ukraine will succeed," he says, before concluding his speech.

Blinken says Russia must pay - literally - for the destruction it has wrought on Ukraine

"There is one more crucial step we can take: making Russia pay for Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction."

"What Putin destroyed Russia should and must pay to rebuild. It's what international law demands. It's what the Ukrainian people deserve."

The secretary of state vows to "seize" Russian assets in the US and "immobilise" the country's foreign assets in order to force these payments.

He also praises Ukrainian workers and business owners who have "kept the economy running", noting that steel factories have doubled their output over the last six months and exports now exceed pre-war levels.

"This economic dynamism hinges on our ability to provide security," he says.

"We are going to make it harder for Russia to strike you," Blinken says, adding that "time is of the essence".

He notes that US President Joe Biden restarted ammunition shipments to Ukraine "within one minute" of Congress passing a $61bn aid package last month.

"We are bringing Ukraine closer to and then into Nato," Blinken adds.

"We will make sure Ukraine’s bridge to Nato is strong."

"You have denied Putin his goal of erasing Ukraine from the map," says the US secretary of state.

He adds that Ukraine also succeeded in rebuffing Russia's attack on the capital Kyiv.

Blinken says "people of every region, every community, every institution have stepped forward to serve" on the battlefield for Ukraine.

He notes the recent overhaul of mobilisation was "a difficult decision but a necessary one" to replenish the frontlines and provide respite to those who have served non-stop for more than two years.

In his opening comments, Blinken says the war in Ukraine is at a "critical moment" and makes the point of mentioning that the current Russian offensive around Kharkiv is aided by North Korean munitions, Iranian drones and Chinese components.

But he states that the US will always be behind Ukraine and its right to defend itself.

Secretary Blinken begins by noting that his surprise visit to Ukraine comes amid a fresh Russian offensive into the country today and as the war is now in its 811th day.

Looking directly into the camera, he says he has a message for all Ukrainians: "You are not alone."

"The United States has been by your side from day one. We are with you today and we will stay by your side."

We've been waiting for US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to begin his remarks in Kyiv.

Blinken has just arrived - and the speech is now beginning.

We'll bring you updates. Press play at the top of this page to watch it live.

Image source, Reuters

As we wait for Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Kyiv, let's turn to the situation in Ukraine's Kharkiv region which has been the location of a surprise Russian incursion.

Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov says the situation there has been "stabilising" and "is not catastrophic".

Russian forces have captured several border villages in the region since they launched the surprise incursion on 10 May.

"It is not true to say that the enemy is making significant progress. At the same time, we must remember that the situation is quite tense and changing very quickly," Budanov told reporters, according to the news website Ukrayinska Pravda.

He said Russia's army had "basically been stopped" and that Ukraine is preparing to "push the enemy out of our country".

Earlier, the Russian defence ministry said it had captured the Kharkiv town of Buhruvatka.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

We're expecting remarks by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the top of the hour.

Speaking at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, he will "address how the United States and other Allies and partners will help Ukraine achieve its goal of building a free, prosperous, and secure democracy - fully integrated into Europe and the Transatlantic Alliance", according to a press notice.

The speech will bookend a day that included meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

We'll bring you updates here - and you can click the play button above to watch the secretary's remarks.

Image source, Reuters

Ukraine will receive extra military aid from France in the coming days and weeks, according to Reuters news agency.

"The President of the Republic reiterated France's determination to provide all the necessary support," his Elysee Palace says.

Earlier, France's Emmanuel Macron had a phone call with President Zelensky,

He condemned an "intensification of Russian strikes" on the Kharkiv region in the call, according to AFP.

Image source, Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP

Russia's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by an outspoken critic of the war in Ukraine - opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza. He had been challenging his 25-year sentence.

The Russian-British national was convicted of treason in April 2023 after being accused of spreading "false" information about the Russian army and being affiliated with an "undesirable organisation".

He has denied the charges.

He spent years speaking out against President Putin and has criticised the Russian government's crackdown on dissent, as well as the war in Ukraine.

Kara-Murza also played a role in persuading Western governments to sanction Russian officials for human rights abuses and corruption.

You can read more about his case here.

What are the 28 ships Grant Shapps is talking about?published at 14:34 British Summer Time 14 May

14:34 BST 14 May

UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps was on BBC Radio 4 this morning talking about support for Ukraine and the UK’s defence capability, including building “up to 28 ships”.

What are they?

He’s been talking the most today about six multi-role support ships (MRSS) for the Royal Marines, of which he told BBC News “we’ll definitely build the first three”.

The MRSS ships are described by the Ministry of Defence as being at the “concept” phase, which is the first stage of the process.

Another eight of the ships are Type 26 Frigates, external, of which the first three will enter service before 2030. Shapps said he had been “clambering all over” one of them in Scotland last week.

Five of the ships are Type 31 frigates, external, which are due to be in the fleet by 2030.

Two Astute Class submarines, external are currently under construction.

The four Dreadnought Class submarines, external will carry the UK’s nuclear deterrent when they enter service in the early 2030s. The Royal Navy’s annual report, external said construction of two of them was “well under way”.

And the last three are Fleet Solid Support ships, external, which are scheduled to begin production next year, with the first entering service by 2031.

Our colleagues at Ukrainecast have been discussing what the Russian strategy could be as it continues its offensive on Ukraine.

Mark Galeotti, University College London honorary professor, says he believes Russia will try and stretch Ukraine and push ahead in the country's south.

"The Russians are absolutely aware they have a window of opportunity... so it's worth [it for Russia to be] moving now," he says.

There have been questions around whether Russia's recent incursions are part of a spring or summer offensive by Moscow.

But Galeotti says to think of it as the "Russia 2024 offensive" as the country would "just continue fighting".

Image source, Getty Images

Olesiia is a teacher in Ukraine who until yesterday lived in Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv.

She's still near the city and is staying in her summer house, and tells the BBC she's scared for her young children.

“They wanted to go home but they worry …[and] they’re talking like adults and they understand even more [about what's happening than] they could,” she tells BBC's Ukrainecast.

Olesiia says her husband is still in Kharkiv because he needs to work, adding that about half her friends have moved out the eastern city.

“I want everything to be ok and we want to go home."

Nick Beake
Europe Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The EU should formally adopt a plan next week to take the profits from frozen Russian assets and use them to buy weapons for Ukraine, according to Belgium’s finance minister.

Vincent Van Peteghem made the announcement after meeting his counterparts from the other 26 EU countries in Brussels.

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, Russian state assets in the EU estimated to be worth almost €211bn (£181bn) have been frozen.

The proposal could see €3bn (£2.5bn) of interest each year on these assets being used to buy weapons for Ukraine.

The Kremlin has previously said that such a plan was a move towards the "destruction of the legal foundations of European law and international law".

It’s thought the first payment could be made in the next few months.

It's lunchtime here in London and just gone 15:30 in Kyiv, where US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is continuing his unannounced visit to the Ukrainian capital.

Here's a quick look back at what's been happening today:

• Blinken arrived in Kyiv via a sleeper train from Poland on a surprise trip, marking the first visit by a senior US official since Congress passed a $61bn aid package for Ukraine
• In a meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Blinken for the package, and stressed it was crucial that Ukraine receives it quickly. Blinken assured him the support was "on its way"
• Blinken then met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a veteran's pizzeria and visited a tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv's Independence Square
• Meanwhile, residents in Vovchansk, on Ukraine's eastern front, are being evacuated due to Russian military strikes
• And earlier, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said the world was "caught napping" by Russia's Kharkiv assault

As we've been reporting, on an unannounced visit to Kyiv, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been discussing weapons deliveries with Ukraine's President Zelensky.

The US approved a $61bn package for military aid last month, with Zelensky describing the US support at the time as "vital".

For Ukraine, its "biggest deficit" is air defence, Zelensky said this morning.

He asked for two Patriot air defence missiles in the Kharkiv region, echoing calls he made at the end of April when he said the systems for launching the missiles were "urgently" needed.

Each Patriot battery costs around $1bn (£800m), and each missile costs nearly $4m.

Image source, EPA