US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday told a group of experts in a Zoom call that Washington actively encouraging Ukraine to try to capture Crimea as Russia would see it as crossing a red line, Politico reported, citing people familiar with the official’s comments.
"According to four people with knowledge of Blinken’s response, he conveyed that the U.S. isn’t actively encouraging Ukraine to retake Crimea, but that the decision is Kiev’s alone," the report said.
"A Ukrainian attempt to retake Crimea would be a red line for [Russian President] Vladimir Putin that could lead to a wider Russian response, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Zoom call with a group of experts Wednesday."
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US State Secretary Antony Blinken said in a video call with experts Wednesday the United States is not actively encouraging Ukraine to retake control of Crimea, but the decision is Kiev's alone, Politico reported citing sources.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the report, the US administration's main focus is to assist Ukraine in Donbas.
After someone on the call asked if Washington was willing to assist Ukraine in realizing its goal to seize Russia's Crimea, Blinken said it would be a red line for Russian President Vladimir Putin that could provoke a wider response from Moscow.
Despite US and NATO officials constantly claiming that Crimea is part of Ukraine, they have not been active since 2014 in trying to contest the reunification of Crimea with Russia.