Russia 'must pay' for destruction in Ukraine: Blinken
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During a speech in Ukraine, Blinken boldly asserted that Russia should pay for the damage, citing that Congress's approval to seize Russian assets will be implemented.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky greets US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prior to their meeting in Kiev on May 14, 2024 (AP)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that the international community must make Russia pay for the destruction it has inflicted on Ukraine through more than two years of war.
"What (Russian President Vladimir) Putin destroyed, Russia should –- must –- pay to rebuild," Blinken said in a speech in Ukraine, adding: "Our Congress has given us the power to seize Russian assets in the US, and we intend to use it."
During a speech in Ukraine, Blinken boldly asserted that Russia should pay for the damage, citing that Congress's approval to seize Russian assets will be implemented.
It is noteworthy that neither Blinken nor any US official have made similar comments regarding the destruction waged upon Gaza by the Israeli occupation.
Blinken also called new Ukrainian law that stiffened penalties for draft dodgers and shortened the age of obligatory military service difficult but "necessary".
"Your recent mobilization was a hard decision -- but a necessary one. The defenders who have courageously held the line for more than two years need help -- and they need rest," Blinken told reporters in Kiev.
Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky begged Kiev's Western supporters to speed up the delivery of weapons and air defense systems amid a fresh Russian offensive in Ukraine's northeast.
"We need a noticeable acceleration of supplies. Now too much time passes between the announcement of packages and the actual appearance of weapons on the frontline," Zelensky pleaded.
Ukraine's shaken battlefield position is expected to worsen soon, Kiev's military intelligence chief warned in an interview with The New York Times, further labeling the situation as "on the edge" as Russia proceeds with its territorial gains.
The evident intention of the Russian maneuver was to deplete Ukrainian reserves, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (GUR), Kyrylo Budanov, told The New York Times, adding that this could possibly pave the way for Russia to capture Chasov Yar, a strategically valuable Donbass city around 200 kilometers southeast of Kharkov.
Speaking with NYT on May 13, he stressed that "The situation is on the edge," adding, "Every hour this situation moves toward critical."
Even though Budanov thinks that Kiev will be able to stabilize the situation, he predicts that Russia will carry out a similar incursion within days in the Sumy Region, 150 kilometers northwest of Kharkov.
EU agrees to utilize revenue from frozen Russian assets to arm Ukraine
The EU has agreed on the expropriation of revenue generated from frozen Russian assets to proceed with funding and arming Kiev, Brussels announced on May 7.
The bloc's ambassadors agreed on the course of actions "in principle", however, the legal text still needs to be ratified by the EU Council.
The Belgian presidency said on X on May 7 that "EU ambassadors agreed in principle on measures concerning extraordinary revenues stemming from Russia’s immobilized assets."
Europan Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "There could be no stronger symbol and no greater use for that money than to make Ukraine and all of Europe a safer place to live."
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declared in a statement on Monday that if Western countries want to solve the Ukrainian conflict on the battlefield, Russia is ready for it.
During consultations at the parliament's upper house, "This is their [Western countries'] right if they want to [settle the conflict] on the battlefield, it will be on the battlefield," Lavrov said, adding that Moscow has repeatedly declared its preparedness for negotiations to resolve the Ukrainian crisis while taking into account the current reality.
This comes two days after Former Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland on Saturday told Politico that Ukraine lacks the necessary strength to engage in negotiations with Russia to resolve the ongoing armed conflict.
When questioned about whether it was a mistake not to encourage Kiev to pursue peace talks with Russia in 2022, she answered, "They were not in a strong enough position then. They’re not in a strong enough position now."
