Blinken also said that the US thinks Ukraine should stay away from trying to retake Crimea at this point in time…reports Asian Lite News
Russia on Sunday charged the US with being the “main instigator of existing global tensions” in wake of a senior US State Department official supporting Ukrainian attacks on Crimea.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said that US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland’s statement that Russian military establishments in Crimea “are legitimate targets” for Ukraine, and that Washington supports Kiev’s attacks on them “once again emphasise the depth of differences between us”.
They highlight “the role of the United States as the main instigator of existing global tensions,” Peskov said in an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel, RT reported.
He went on describe Nuland as part of “a very large group of the most aggressive hawks in American politics”.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Nuland’s statement on Crimea as “staggering” and “absurd”, calling it proof of “the US involvement in the Ukraine conflict”.
Blinken’s warning
Ukraine’s attempt to retake Crimea could cause Russian President Vladimir Putin and his government to retaliate, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a group of experts.
Blinken also said that the US thinks Ukraine should stay away from trying to retake Crimea at this point in time.
Putin sees Crimea as part of Russia and not Ukraine. The Russian president, who took Crimea from Ukraine almost a decade ago, would be horrified to see the peninsula taken from his control. Meanwhile, Republican and Democratic administrations have reaffirmed that “Crimea is Ukraine”.
In a private Zoom call, Blinken was asked if the US is willing to help Ukraine realise its long-term goal of retaking the territory seized by Moscow.
A report by Politico mentioned four people with knowledge of Blinken’s response saying the Secretary of the State conveyed that the US isn’t actively encouraging Ukraine to retake Crimea, but that the decision is Kyiv’s alone.
“The administration’s main focus is helping Ukraine advance where the fight is, mainly in the east,” Blinken said.
