US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on a surprise visit, coinciding with the US announcement of about $2.7 billion in new military aid to Ukraine and Russia’s neighboring countries.

Blinken did not announce in advance his second visit to Kyiv after Russia’s February war with Ukraine.

“The minister wanted to make this trip now, given the importance of the stage for Ukraine,” said a senior official who accompanied Blinken.

She cited Ukraine’s counterattack some seven months after the start of the war and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s statement on Wednesday that Kyiv had recaptured several facilities in the Kharkiv region.

“All security assistance is aimed at helping to ensure the success of Ukraine in the counteroffensive,” the security official added, speaking on condition of anonymity. “And if they succeed, it will be very important in terms of the development of the war,” she said.

During a meeting with allies at the Ramstein base in Germany, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin praised the “clear success” of Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.

On Thursday, the United States approved new $2 billion in loans and grants to Ukraine and neighboring countries to purchase American military equipment, according to what the State Department announced.

These countries include Moldova and Georgia, which includes Russian-backed separatist regions, and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Bosnia, where tensions have escalated over Russia-backed Bosnian Serb leaders.