Well over two years into Russia’s war on Ukraine, there seems to be little inclination on the part of the belligerents toward negotiations to end the conflict. So, the question is, at this point, does a path toward peace in Ukraine exist?
“It depends mostly on Vladimir Putin and what he decides,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “I think Putin has believed that he can outlast Ukraine and outlast Ukraine’s supporters.”
“The success in … getting the supplemental budget request is a demonstration that we’re not going anywhere, that support is continuing, and in fact the 61 or so billion dollars is as we speak moving forward. And that’s critical because I think it’s both a practical and psychological boost to Ukrainians who have had a tough nine months or so, but also a clear demonstration that the support remains, and it endures.”
Clearly, “We’re in this for Ukraine to be strong in the long haul and to stand strongly on its own two feet militarily, economically, democratically,” said Secretary Blinken.
“Militarily – beyond the support that we’re providing in the immediate and Europeans are providing … I’ve never seen a better example of burden sharing than in the case of Ukraine, where European partners, Asian partners, others, for as much as we’ve done, have done even more, and that continues,” he said.
“We have now more than 30 countries that have negotiated or will soon complete negotiations on bilateral security agreements with Ukraine,” said Secretary Blinken. “At the same time, we’re driving private-sector investment into Ukraine.”
“There are tremendous opportunities despite the difficult circumstances, and we’re seeing tremendous interest in that. … Ukraine’s … actually exporting more through the Black Sea now than it was before February of 2022. Revenues are going into the state coffers. You can see a future where Ukraine will be strong economically.”
“And then democratically – the European Union opened accession talks with Ukraine, and that’s the best pathway to deepening Ukraine’s democracy,” he said.
“All of that is the strongest possible answer to Putin, because it says that Ukraine will not only survive – it can thrive going forward.”
“I hope that Mr. Putin gets the message and demonstrates a willingness to genuinely negotiate consistent with the basic principles that are at the heart of the international community and the UN Charter: sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence,” said Secretary Blinken. “If those are appropriately affirmed, there should be a resolution.”
