Secretary of the US Antony Blinken states that Ukrainians have won the battle for Kyiv.
He said that in his speech before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, reports Interfax Ukraine news agency.
“In Kyiv, we saw the signs of a vibrant city coming back to life: people eating outside, sitting on benches, strolling. It was right in front of us. The Ukrainians have won the battle for Kyiv, and for all the suffering that they’ve endured, for all the carnage that Russia’s brutal invasion continues to inflict, Ukraine was and will continue to be a free and independent country.”
He admitted that during their visit to Kyiv, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, they demonstrated the United States’ commitment to the government and to the people of Ukraine.
“It is impossible not to be moved by what the Ukrainians have achieved. It’s also impossible not to believe that they will keep succeeding because they know why they fight. Seeing this, I have to tell you I felt some pride in what the United States has done to support the Ukrainian Government and its people, and an even firmer conviction that we must not let up,” underlined Blinken.
Blinken and Austin spent about three hours with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his team in Kyiv. According to the Head of the Presidential Office, Andrii Yermak, during this visit the participant reached a new agreement about complementary military support for Ukraine, estimated at $322 mn.