Blinken, Austin say ‘sovereign Ukraine’ will outlast Putin

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin seemed to place their trust in Ukraine after concluding their state visit on Sunday. The two officials also slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin in their address.

Antony Blinken placed his bet on Volodymyr Zelensky and said that “sovereign independent Ukraine will be around a lot longer than Vladimir Putin is on the scene”, CNN reported.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke up after returning from Ukraine and said that with “the right equipment and the right support” Ukraine can triumph over the Russian forces.

The high-level meeting between the three leaders lasted for nearly three hours, Blinken revealed after leaving Ukraine. The top American diplomat, when asked about what he saw on his way to Kyiv, said that he took a train from southwestern Poland to Kyiv. 

“So we did not see a lot except looking out the train window. In Kyiv itself, we went right to the presidential palace”, Blinke said, according to reports from CNN. He added that “there was not much of an opportunity to talk to average Ukrainians.”

Ukrainian President Zelensky thanked the United States for “unprecedented assistance” after the meeting wrapped up. He had previously urged world leaders to “not come empty-handed” when they visit Ukraine. 

“I would like to thank President Biden personally and on behalf of the entire Ukrainian people for his leadership in supporting Ukraine, for his personal clear position”, Zelensky said in a statement.

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What happened at the meeting?

Austin and Blinken promised to send an additional $300 million to Kyiv to help counter the Russian aggression, Associated Press reported. The United States has already sent nearly $3 billion in aid to Ukraine.

On behalf of US President Joe Biden, the top cabinet members informed Zelensky that Washington would reinstate its diplomatic services in Kyiv in another week.