US Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave a ringing endorsement to a popular Ukrainian pizzeria founded by a war veteran during a surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday.
Alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, the top American diplomat grabbed a slice from “Veterano Pizza”, a military-themed establishment that features a glass tabletop with empty bullet casings.
“As somewhat of a knowledgeable person about pizza — as most Americans are — the pizza here is superb. I highly, highly recommend it,” Blinken said.
The pair split a meat pizza — called “Ukrainian pizza” by the restaurant — and a vegetarian one.
Last September Blinken and Kuleba shared a portion of fries at McDonald’s after it resumed work in Kyiv. But Kuleba said this time round he had insisted on a Ukrainian restaurant.
“Some people criticised me on social media that I took you to McDonald’s, not to Ukrainian place. So now we are correcting this,” he told reporters.
Blinken was in the Ukrainian capital on a surprise visit weeks after Washington approved a $61 billion package of aid for Kyiv.
