“Moscow has made systematic attempts to weaken Ukraine’s democratic institutions and split Ukrainian society,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said during a visit to Kiev on Wednesday, January 19. At the end of the meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Blinken recalled that the Russian Federation has currently deployed about 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine, and pointed out that their number could double in a relatively short time.
The head of the US Foreign Ministry stressed that by his visit he wanted to express Washington’s “unshakable support” for Kiev. According to him, Ukraine’s democracy and its fundamental right to exist as a sovereign, independent nation is facing an unprecedented challenge from Russia. Blinken called on Ukraine to prevent a split as a result of Moscow’s actions. “We indicated that we prefer the diplomatic way of resolving the conflict with Russia,” he said.
He recalled that in 2021 the United States provided more security assistance to Kiev than at any time since 2014. “We continue to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to self-defense,” Anthony Blinken added. The US Secretary of State announced that in 2022 Washington will continue to support Ukraine by allocating an additional $300 million to it. At the same time, the goal is to demonstrate to Moscow what price it will have to pay if it rejects the diplomatic path of resolving the conflict.
Kuleba: Russia wants to sow panic and destabilize the economy of Ukraine
In turn, Dmitry Kuleba said that the Russian Federation wants to sow panic and distrust, as well as destabilize the economy and financial system of Ukraine. “We must make every effort to prevent Russia from achieving this goal without even taking weapons out of its pockets,” the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry urged.
According to him, Kiev’s main expectation from the US and European countries is to agree on a strong package of sanctions that will be imposed against Russia in the event of a further escalation of the conflict. “The Russian Federation should receive very clear signals every day that the unbearable burden in the form of sanctions that our partners are talking about is real,” Kuleba said.
At a joint press conference with Blinken, he stressed that Ukraine “is not planning any offensive operations” and is working exclusively to strengthen its defense capabilities.
Blinken will meet with colleagues from Germany, France and the UK
The day after his visit to Kiev, Blinken will meet in Berlin with the Foreign Ministers of Germany, France and Great Britain Annalena Baerbock, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Liz Truss, and then go to Geneva, where on January 21 he will meet with the Foreign Minister RF Sergey Lavrov.
Last week, talks between the United States and Russia in Geneva, in the NATO-Russia Council and within the OSCE ended without results. The United States, Germany and a number of other countries continue their efforts to de-escalate the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The West is calling on Russia to withdraw its troops from the Ukrainian border and is threatening massive sanctions in the event of a possible invasion. In turn, Moscow denies preparations for a new invasion and calls on the US and NATO to provide “security guarantees”, demanding the reduction of US troops and weapons in Europe and the rejection of further NATO expansion to the east.
See also:
.