Democratic countries must vigorously defend Ukraine against Russian threats, including because in fact the future of international security depends on the resolution of this crisis.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said this in an interview with MSNBS on January 13, writes European Pravda.
The secretary of state noted that some ordinary Americans may be wondering why Washington places so much emphasis on supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a country that is somewhere far across the ocean.
"Why are we so vigorously defending Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression? Here's why: it's a much broader question than about Ukraine. The basic principles of international peace and security are now in question: that some country cannot simply take and change the borders of another by force, cannot dictate to neighboring states and their peoples what policies to pursue and with whom to enter into alliances, that some state cannot claim its own "sphere of influence" - a relic of the last century - and decide for its neighbors. will undermine the entire international system, other countries will hear this signal and begin to act in a similar way. This is a path to tension, conflict and war," said Anthony Blinken.
He expressed hope that the Kremlin would choose the path of diplomacy and dialogue. "We're ready for that, but we're also ready in case things happen otherwise," he noted.
Asked about the large-scale sanctions that Western partners are warning the Kremlin about, Blinken said he could not disclose details, but stressed that the G7, the EU and NATO member states have warned of such readiness. "Together we can apply very significant sanctions - financial, economic and other - the kind of thing we haven't done before. We are also looking at even greater support for strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities, as well as those of NATO members," he said.
The secretary of state also pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions over the years of aggression against Ukraine had actually had the opposite effect and provoked what he wanted to prevent.
"Maybe a quarter of Ukraine's population supported NATO membership. Now it's about 60 percent. The Alliance itself was forced to deploy more forces and weapons closer to Russia - something Russia did not want - after its aggression against Ukraine. NATO's defense expenditures have also gone up... Everything President Putin has done has resulted in the exact opposite of what he wants," said Anthony Blinken.
