evidence: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise trip to Kyiv on Tuesday, meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian forces make significant gains on the battlefield in Ukraine. [...] During his fourth visit to Ukraine since the 2022 Russian invasion, Blinken also met Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba as well as with civil society and private sector partners. [...] Just days before Blinken’s arrival, Ukraine’s top general said the situation in the northeastern Kharkiv region has "significantly worsened" after Russia claimed to have captured four more villages as it expanded its surprise cross-border offensive.