U.S. pledges unwavering support to Ukraine and Moldova during visit
"And at every step along the way, we’ve adapted and adjusted as necessary, and so that’s exactly what we’ll do going forward. We’re always listening, we’re always learning, and we’re always making determinations about what’s necessary to make sure that Ukraine can effectively continue to defend itself," said the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, during a visit to Chisinau.
6:56 AM EDT, May 30, 2024
Blinken noted that the U.S. strategy towards Ukraine is flexible and adapts to the situation.
"And at every step along the way, we’ve adapted and adjusted as necessary, and so that’s exactly what we’ll do going forward. We’re always listening, we’re always learning, and we’re always making determinations about what’s necessary to make sure that Ukraine can effectively continue to defend itself," said Blinken during a press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu.
The Secretary of State also addressed the issue of restrictions on the use of American weapons by Ukraine, emphasizing that although the U.S. has not encouraged Ukraine to attack beyond its territory, adapting to the conditions and actions of Russia is a crucial element of support for Kyiv.
The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and other leaders publicly proposed changing policy on this issue.
"We are on the path to help ensure that Ukraine is a success"
Blinken announced that in the coming months, during the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., and the G7 summit in Italy, the West will take several additional actions to support Ukraine.
"We are on the path to help ensure that Ukraine is a success, a country that stands strongly on its own feet militarily, economically, democratically. And that’s the ultimate rebuke to Mr. Putin and it also tells him very clearly that he cannot and will not outlast Ukraine, outlast Ukraine’s supporters," said the diplomat.
During his visit to Moldova, Blinken also announced that the U.S. would provide an additional $50 million to the country to support energy and agricultural reforms and combat Russian disinformation and cyberattacks. He stressed that Russia continually tries to destabilize Moldova by using corruption and energy as weapons, organizing anti-government protests, conducting cyberattacks, and spreading disinformation.