KYIV, Ukraine - Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday in a visit aimed at signaling Washington’s support amid a slow-going counteroffensive and grumbling among some Republicans about the level of U.S. assistance for the country.

Blinken is expected to announce more than $1 billion in additional aid for the country and to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the capital, a senior State Department official said. He will also sit down with the country’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Blinken was greeted upon arrival in Kyiv by the U.S. ambassador, Bridget Brink.

Blinken’s plane-and-train journey to Kyiv from Washington at a key moment in the country’s struggle against Russia is the highest-profile U.S. visit to Ukraine since President Biden made an unannounced trip there in February.

Hours before Blinken arrived, Kyiv was alerted to air attacks from Russia, including eight missiles and 25 Iranian drones across Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian military. Air defenses destroyed 23 targets.

Ukrainian troops are battling to break through Russian fortifications in their country’s south, but even successfully piercing the line will only mark a start.

A senior State Department official traveling with Blinken said the visit represented “perfect timing for us to align with the Ukrainian government on all of the main priorities that they have and that we have together."

U.S. officials are expected to discuss economic support for Ukraine on the visit and announce an aid package of more than $1 billion, with a significant part devoted to nonmilitary support.

Meanwhile, American and Ukrainian officials have been engaged in a behind-the-scenes debate over the strategy and tactics for Kyiv’s counteroffensive.

American military officials have been urging the Ukrainians to return to the combined arms training they received at allied bases in Europe by concentrating their forces to try to punch through Russia’s defenses and push to the Sea of Azov.

“You will see a continuation of our efforts to try to ensure that they have what they need for this phase of the battle, which as you’ve seen on the ground includes materiel not only for strikes, but also to break through these really vicious lines of defenses that the Russians have put up," the official said. “Air defense continues to be a high priority."

The official traveling with Blinken cited “some impressive advances in the south in particular, but also in the east in recent days and weeks."

Write to William Mauldin at [email protected]