Russian President Vladimir Putin has succeeded in implementing a plan to isolate Russia, if that is what he meant when he said the operation in Ukraine was on track, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said. He told reporters in Brussels on Friday.
"President Putin said yesterday that the so-called 'special military operation is going according to plan.' It's hard to imagine that this planning includes the inspiration of the Ukrainian people to defend their country, the strengthening of solidarity between NATO and the EU, the unification of the world in opposition to Moscow, including 140 UN countries, an unprecedented number of international businesses, associations, cultural institutions that have cut ties with Russia," Blinken said.
He also noted the effects on the Russian economy, as well as the fact that the war against Ukraine "motivated tens of thousands of Russians to protest and turn Russia into a pariah state."
"If this was President Putin's plan, we can say it's working. Russia has never been so isolated, we have never been so united," Blinken stated, adding that these actions are not directed against the Russian people.
