The United States approves $200 million in additional aid to Ukraine Blinken's harsh words against Russia

Source: China News Network

On January 20, a senior official of the US State Department said on the 19th that the US government approved an additional defense security assistance of $200 million to Ukraine in December 2021.

"We are committed to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and will continue to provide Ukraine with the support it needs," the official told reporters. The official did not elaborate on the content of the aid program.

Source: U.S. Secretary of State Blinken

US Secretary of State Blinken visited Ukraine on the 19th and met with Ukrainian President Zelenskiy. The statement from ukraine's presidential office said Zelenskiy expressed gratitude to U.S. President Joe Biden for its help and unwavering support to Ukraine in the face of existing security challenges.

In addition, Blinken urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to choose a "path of peace" on Ukraine. Blinken warned that if Putin does not seek a diplomatic path, he will choose confrontation and "Russia will face the consequences."

Blinken will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 21st. Blinken said that despite Moscow's demands, he would not formally respond to Russia's proposal on the Ukraine crisis in this week's talks, saying the two sides needed to explore common ground.

Blinken reiterated that some of the ideas put forward by Russia are "clearly absolutely impossible," such as an explicit ban on Ukraine joining NATO.

On the 10th of this month, US Deputy Secretary of State Sherman and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov held talks in Geneva on Ukraine-related issues. After the talks, both sides said that no progress had been made on NATO's eastward expansion.

Recently, Russia's relations with the United States and NATO have continued to be tense over Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have deployed a large number of military personnel and equipment in the border area between the two countries, and the United States and Ukraine claim that Russia may be ready to "invade" Ukraine. In this regard, the Russian side has repeatedly denied it, stressing that NATO activities threaten Russia's border security and that Russia has the right to mobilize troops within its territory to defend its territory.