Without elaborating on a timeframe, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Ukraine can "definitely" win the ongoing war with Russia and hailed the Ukrainian people's "extraordinary resilience." Following a meeting with his European Union (EU) peers in Brussels, Blinken made the statements in an interview with the BBC on Friday night.
When asked if he was convinced that Ukraine would win the war, Blinken said: “Over time, absolutely. I can’t tell you how long this will go on. I can’t tell you how long it will take. But the idea that Russia can subjugate to its will 45 million people who are ardently fighting for their future and their freedom, that does not involve Russia having its thumb on Ukraine, that tells you a lot.”
Despite his optimism, the Secretary of State voiced concern about the situation escalating further. "It's something we worry about and are focused on," he told the BBC, "because the only thing worse than a conflict that is restricted to Ukraine is one that escalates even farther and goes beyond it." He cautioned that Russian soldiers were adopting "increasingly violent" techniques against people in Ukraine, and that this has resulted in a great deal of human suffering. "We're watching Russia target key infrastructure that denies Ukrainians access to water, power, and heat," he added.
“Those methods are, unfortunately, tragically, part of the Russian playbook under President (Vladimir) Putin. And I think we’re likely to see more of that.”Asked if the US would seek a change in Moscow’s leadership to bring an end to the invasion, he replied: “We don’t seek that, and in any event it’s not up to us. The Russian people need to decide their leadership.“What I would say to the Russian people is: How in the world is this war of aggression… advancing your interests, your needs?”Since Russia’s invasion began on February 24, Ukrainian forces have continued with a stiff resistance against Moscow’s advances.
However, Russian troops on Friday captured the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, where a fire had erupted earlier in the day due to shelling. The previous day, the port city of Kherson was also seized by Russian forces, becoming the first city to fall. In the south, Russian forces captured areas along the Black Sea coast, and the port city of Mariupol remained surrounded. In Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, has also remained under siege.
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