The United States called on Russia to choose a peaceful path in Ukraine, while Moscow welcomed any effort to resolve the crisis, while the United States revealed the allocation of additional funds to support Ukraine’s security, and Britain stated that it had delivered thousands of light anti-tank missiles to Kiev, and Germany responded sharply to the request of the Ukrainian ambassador to provide his country with weapons.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to choose a “peaceful path” in Ukraine, during a visit to Kiev to confirm his country’s support for it.
Blinken, who arrived on a one-day visit to Ukraine ahead of talks with European allies in Berlin and his Russian counterpart in Geneva on Friday, urged Putin to allay fears of a possible invasion of Kiev. “We know that there are plans to increase this force (Russian forces on Ukraine’s borders) even more within a very short time and this gives President Putin the ability, also within a very short time, to take more aggressive steps towards Ukraine,” he said during his visit to Kiev. “I very much hope that we can keep (the situation) on a diplomatic and peaceful path, but in the end, the decision on that will be up to President Putin,” he stressed.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the United States for its support “in this difficult period” when he received Blinken. “I would like to thank you” for “the military support and assistance to Ukraine and for the increase in this assistance (…) especially in this difficult period,” Zelensky said, addressing the letter to Blinken.
A senior US official confirmed that the Biden administration “approved last month to allocate $200 million in additional defense and security assistance to our Ukrainian partners.” “As we have said before, we are committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.
British Deputy Defense Secretary James Hebei said on Wednesday that his country had delivered to Ukraine several thousand light anti-tank missiles. He added in a radio interview: “Ukrainians are a sovereign and proud people, and they are ready to defend every inch of their country.”
A spokesman for the German Ministry of Defense said that the policy of his country’s government has not changed, and there will be no supply of lethal weapons to Ukraine. “I would like to draw your attention to the fact that over the past 48 hours, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Secretary of State Annalina Birbock have clearly stated our position that lethal weapons will not be supplied to Ukraine,” he added. This was applied in the past, during the previous government, and it will remain so in this government.” “There are no plans to provide military support to Ukraine,” the spokesman stressed.
And the Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin, Andrei Melnik, accused “Germany of being unwilling for its refusal to supply us with weapons.” The ambassador stressed that his country desires to obtain from Germany warships and modern air defense systems.
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