U.S. Secretary of State Blinken may visit Ukraine in May / REUTERS

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken may visit Ukraine in May.

That's according to a CNN report with reference to a Ukrainian government source close to the ongoing negotiations.

The visit will take place before the meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

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"The visit could ease the European country's anxiety over a potential meeting between Biden and Putin this summer on the heels of the U.S. President's meetings with Group of 7 and NATO allies," the report said.

Read alsoU.S. considers more arms shipments to Ukraine amid Russian build-up – mediaThe fact that the Biden administration would deploy its most senior diplomat to Ukraine in the weeks before a potential summit sends a clear signal that Washington stands with the Eastern European nation and values it as an ally, CNN said.

"Blinken's visit to Ukraine will be one opportunity to discuss a potential Biden-[President Volodymyr]Zelensky meeting while the U.S. President is in Europe this summer," the Ukrainian government source said.

According to media reports, the Secretary of State has already spoken to his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba, several times since taking office, including earlier this month at a meeting in Brussels.

Veteran diplomat Daniel Fried, who served as ambassador to Poland from 1997 to 2000, called the potential Blinken trip "a very good move."

"A proper Ukraine strategy needs two parts," he said. "One arm around their shoulder to help them resist aggression from the Kremlin and a foot on their back to get them to fix things at home, so that Ukraine is not simply a corrupt state vulnerable to that Russian aggression."

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