US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to meet with Ukraine’s leader on his first trip to the country that is at the heart of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.

The visit, which was scheduled for early January but delayed because of Middle East tensions, is expected to highlight US support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia-backed separatists.

Pompeo said before flying to Kiev from London that he would “talk about how we can provide continuing support to the Ukrainian people from the aggression that Russia has undertaken over the past handful of years”. He has also vowed to back Ukraine’s efforts to root out corruption.