U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken believes that the ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine may give the Kremlin time to regroup its forces and launch new attacks. He stressed the importance of a lasting peace, which is possible only if Ukraine's defense capabilities are strengthened. According to him, the United States will remain Ukraine's key partner, as it is not only Ukraine's security that is at stake, but the security of the entire democratic community.
This was reported by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in an interview with the New York Times.
"Putin is unlikely to give up his ambitions. If there is a cease-fire, Putin believes that the cease-fire will probably give him (the troops - ed.) time to rest, to regroup, to attack again at some point in the future. So it will be critical to make sure that any ceasefire that comes is actually sustainable and that Ukraine has the ability to deter further aggression in the future," he said.
According to Blinken, one of the ways to ensure a sustainable peace could be for Ukraine to join NATO or receive security guarantees from its allies.
"We will put Ukraine on the path to NATO membership. This can be done through security guarantees, commitments, guarantees from different countries to make sure that Russia knows that if it attacks again, it will be in big trouble," the secretary of state added.
He expressed hope that the United States would remain a key ally of Ukraine.
"I very much hope that the United States will remain a key supporter of Ukraine, because this is not just about Ukraine. This has never been about Ukraine," Blinken concluded.
Author: Danylo Pievchev