"The Secretary emphasized strong bipartisan support for Ukraine and the priority the United States places on Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations. He [Blinken] pledged to continue robust US economic and military assistance to Ukraine," according to the statement.
Blinken also "highlighted the importance of Ukraine maintaining progress on fighting corruption and implementing rule of law and economic reforms that will strengthen Ukraine’s institutions and ensure a bright and prosperous future for all Ukrainians."
"The Secretary and Foreign Minister Kuleba also discussed Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to combat COVID-19, and to achieve a diplomatic resolution to Russia’s aggression in eastern Ukraine and Crimea," according to the statement.
After the coup d’etat in Ukraine in February 2014, Crimea and Sevastopol held a referendum, in which 96.7% of Crimeans and 95.6% of Sevastopol voters chose to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the reunification deal on March 18, 2014, which the Federation Council (upper house of the Russian parliament) ratified on March 21, 2014. Despite the results of the referendum, Kiev refused to recognize Crimea as a part of Russia.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said after his first phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the two sides have agreed to boost cooperation.
ReplyDelete"In our first call today @SecBlinken and I affirmed the importance of the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership. We agreed to raise the level of ambition and begin a new day in our relations. Grateful for the unfaltering U.S. support of Ukraine’s sovereignty & territorial integrity," Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Monday.
Speaking on ICTV on Monday, Ukraine’s foreign minister said he had told Blinken that Ukraine could provide some sort of assistance to Washington in the Black Sea region.
"I told the Secretary of State today that the United States can count on Ukraine as a reliable partner in the Black Sea region and in Central Europe," Kuleba said.
US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a Monday statement that during his phone call with Kuleba, Blinken emphasized strong bipartisan support for Ukraine and the priority the United States places on Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
Blinken pledged to continue to provide economic and military assistance to Ukraine.