The United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba met on the border between Ukraine and Poland to discuss the West's steps to support Ukraine and isolate Russia, who invaded the neighboring country, “Voice of America” reports.
Blinken and Kuleba held talks at the border crossing, which refugees, primarily women, and children, cross to get from Ukraine to Poland.
“The whole world supports Ukraine, and I am here, in Ukraine with my friend, my colleague,” Blinken said.
Kuleba added: “I hope that Ukrainian people will be able to see this as a clear sign that we have friends that literally support us.” The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that during the meeting, the parties discussed the provision of weapons to Ukraine and the campaign on Russia's international isolation and damaging its economy with sanctions.
“In the end, Ukraine will win the war with Russia, but its international allies should provide more help to Kyiv to stop the conflict sooner,” the Ukrainian Minister emphasized.
Kuleba mentioned that Ukraine especially needs fighter aircraft and air defense systems. He also added that the “Stinger” anti-aircraft systems provided by the western countries are significantly helping defense forces. For example, on Saturday, Ukrainian air-defense systems shot three Russian military aircraft.
“If they [western allies] will continue to supply is with necessary weapons, the price [of the conflict] will be lower. It will save a lot of lives,” the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Kuleba also told Blinken that he does not see any progress in the negotiations with Russia on a ceasefire at the border of Ukraine and Belarus. However, he mentioned that the third round of negotiations is scheduled for Monday.
Before the meeting with Kuleba, Blinken visited the center for admitting refugees. By the end of the weekend, their number could grow up to 1.5 million from the current 1.3 million.
Blinken arrived in Poland from Brussels, where on Friday, he met with the ministers of foreign affairs of NATO, G7, and European Union to discuss Western efforts to contain Russia through a program of strict sanctions.
Later during the briefing, Kuleba said that he also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Zbigniew Rau, “Ukrinform” said.
Kuleba mentioned that they discussed the issue of providing Ukraine with fighter aircraft to protect the airspace.
“But there is a clear understanding among our partners that we need fighter aircraft to stop the barbaric destruction of our cities and our people from the sky,” the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
As a reminder, NATO countries provide Ukraine with military aid, most of which comes through Poland. However, the Alliance refused Ukraine’s demands to establish a no-fly zone, saying that this could provoke Russia into broader and more dangerous conflict.
Russia describes its actions as a “special military operation” to " demilitarize” Ukraine.
Earlier, the United States Secretary of State promised Kuleba more weapons and new sanctions against Russia.