Ukraine’s government says it has made significant progress in a counteroffensive aimed at retaking ground seized by Russia. On Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had liberated more than a thousand square kilometers of territory since the start of September. Zelensky made the remarks from Kyiv Thursday evening, after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged to support Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” Blinken was in Ukraine’s capital on an unannounced visit, where he touted the latest tranche of U.S. military aid to Ukraine — nearly $2.7 billion.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “We also notified our Congress of our intent to provide Ukraine with an additional $1 billion in what we call foreign military financing. This is for longer-term acquisition of systems. We’re also providing $1 billion, additional dollars, in financing for our European allies and partners, who have been doing so much to support Ukraine.”