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Blinken on Plans for Ukraine's Future
On a recent visit to Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out a plan for Ukraine to stand on its own feet – militarily, economically, democratically – so that America’s support can transition to more sustainable levels.
“First, we’re helping to ensure that Ukraine has the military that it needs to succeed on the battlefield, to secure a just and lasting peace, and to deter future aggression,” he said.
“Our goal is to lay a foundation so strong that it dispels any doubts about Ukraine’s ability to impose punishing costs on those who try to take its territory,” said Secretary Blinken. This includes eventual NATO membership.
“Second, we will ensure that Ukraine’s economy not only survives, but thrives,” said Secretary Blinken. But “for all the resources our government and others will invest in Ukraine’s infrastructure, in its innovation, in its people, Ukraine’s economic transformation will ultimately be driven by the private sector.”
“We’re accelerating our efforts to help Ukraine attract more private investment, especially toward dynamic industries like technology, like energy, like agriculture, like defense,” he said. “We’re helping to lower the cost of doing business in Ukraine. Thanks to the provision of war risk insurance, more grain is being exported through the Black Sea today than before the war, and Ukraine’s breadbasket is once again feeding the world.”
Finally, the U.S. will help the Ukrainian people fully realize their democratic aspirations, said Secretary Blinken:
“That’s why we’re working with the government and civil society groups to shore up Ukraine’s election infrastructure. That way, as soon as Ukrainians agree that conditions allow, all Ukrainians, including those displaced by Russia’s aggression, can exercise their right to vote. People in Ukraine and around the world can have confidence that the voting process is free, fair, secure.”
“The spirit of Ukrainians cannot be destroyed by a bomb or buried in a mass grave. It cannot be bought with a bribe or repressed with a threat,” said Secretary Blinken. “That’s why Ukraine will succeed.”