We want to ensure Ukraine succeeds and NATO Summit will support this – Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that the West's strategy of aiding Ukraine is showing effective results in repelling Russian aggression and the decisions at the upcoming NATO summit will contribute to Ukraine's success.

Source: Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a joint press conference after a meeting in Washington

Quote from Blinken: "The Ukraine strategy that we’ve had and that we’ve been acting on individually and collectively now for nearly two and a half years is showing effective results – effective results in making sure that Ukraine can ward off Russian aggression, and it’s done that remarkably. Keep in mind Putin’s objective from day one was to erase Ukraine from the map, to ends its existence as an independent country, to subsume it into Russia. That has failed.

But going forward, we want to make sure that Ukraine is a success, that it stands strongly on its own feet militarily, economically, democratically, and that’s exactly what we’re enabling Ukraine to do. And that is the mark of success going forward. Again, decisions that will be made at the [NATO] summit will further that effort, and more to be said in a few weeks’ time."

Details: Blinken said the US is working to expedite the arrival of US-supplied aid to the front in Ukraine. He also expressed that it is "very effective in terms of stabilising the front lines and making sure that the Russians could be stopped in their offensive", adding that "what makes the biggest difference is the extraordinary courage and resilience of the Ukrainians themselves".

He also noted that new sanctions are being imposed on Russia as necessary "to keep the pressure up, so that the aggression ultimately ends".

Blinken also mentioned China's assistance to the Russian military machine.

"We’re looking at countries that are supporting Russia’s defence industrial base, which is allowing Russia to continue the war, including China. As President Biden has made clear, we have a real concern not with the – not with weapons being supplied by China to Russia. That’s not what they’re doing. What they are doing, as you’ve heard me discuss many times, is providing critical support to Russia’s defence industrial base. Some 70 percent of the machine tools that Russia is importing are coming from China; 90 percent of the microelectronics coming from China. And that has enabled Russia to keep that defence industrial base going, to keep the war machine going, to keep the war going. So that has to stop," he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Stoltenberg stated that they "are addressing many deliverables on Ukraine before the upcoming NATO summit".

"We have already a plan for NATO training and security assistance for Ukraine. We have seen new announcements, and I expect those are more announcement of more military support to Ukraine," he said.

Stoltenberg added that they "will also have language expressing that Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance" during the summit.

"The exact language, exact – what we will agree, is what Allies – or – are now discussed among Allies, and – but I'm confident we will have a good solution agreement by the summit," Stoltenberg summarised.

Support UP or become our patron!