The US supports Ukraine’s peace framework, which demands the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukrainian territory, and opposes alternate proposals that would advantage Moscow, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday.
(Bloomberg) — The US supports Ukraine’s peace framework, which demands the withdrawal of all Russian forces from Ukrainian territory, and opposes alternate proposals that would advantage Moscow, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday.
The top US diplomat endorsed Kyiv’s proposal during a virtual session of the Summit for Democracy, where Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba detailed its 10 points. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had been expected to deliver remarks virtually, but was visiting regions bordering the front lines.
“We all have to be very much aware — and beware — of what may seem to be well-intentioned efforts, for example, to call for cease-fires, which would potentially have the effect of freezing in place the conflict, allowing Russia to consolidate the gains that it’s made, and simply use the time to rest and refit and then re-attack,” Blinken said.
Blinken didn’t mention China but its peace idea was the clear target of his criticism.
Kuleba emphasized that the Ukrainian government and people will not abide partial measures. “Russia has to withdraw from every square inch of Ukrainian territory,” he said.
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