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Blinken noted that the United States is accelerating arms deliveries to Ukraine and that the process now typically takes as little as 72 hours after receiving a request from the Ukrainian government.
“The territory that just a couple of months ago the Russian Government thought that it could seize in a matter of weeks – today, is firmly Ukraine’s,” he said.
Blinken added that Washington’s goal is ”to make sure that [Ukraine] has the ability to repel the Russian aggression, and, indeed, to strengthen its position at the negotiating table.”
The Secretary of State recalled that in talks with Russia ahead of Feb. 24 invasion, it became clear that Putin’s complaints about Ukraine’s entry into NATO were only a pretext.
“It was always about his belief that Ukraine does not deserve to be a sovereign, independent country,” Blinken explained, and confirmed the commitment of the United States to helping Ukraine.
“I felt some pride in what the United States has done to support the Ukrainian government and its people and an even firmer conviction that we must not let up,” Blinken said.
