WASHINGTON (AP) — When Secretary of State Antony Blinken travels to Ukraine this week he’ll be carrying a tough anti-graft message and strong U.S. backing for the country’s response to Russian aggression. He’ll also be bringing along a familiar face in the Washington-Moscow tug-of-war over Ukraine: Victoria Nuland. The one-day stop comes at a time of heightened U.S. tensions with Russia. The mere presence in Kyiv of Nuland, now the No. 3 State Department official, is likely to irritate Russia. A Russia hawk, Nuland was a target of Moscow’s attacks on the U.S. during the Obama administration.
