U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he would convey to U.S. President Joe Biden the messages he heard from the Ukrainian authorities regarding authorization for long-range weapons strikes on Russian targets. According to him, the situation on the battlefield is changing, and “we have reconfigured ourselves”, Suspilne reports.
The official said this in Kyiv on September 11 during a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Sybiha Andrii and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Blinken said that during the visit he had talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. In particular, they discussed the situation at the front, Ukraine’s goals, and what Ukraine needs to succeed.
We also discussed long-range capacity. I will convey to President [Joe Biden] in Washington what I heard here. And David [Lammy, British Foreign Secretary] will do the same to his leaders. We have reconfigured ourselves. The needs are changing, the battlefield is changing. I am sure that this will continue, because the situation is changing. Because escalation is a factor that we take into account, but it is not the only factor, not necessarily the decisive factor, – said Secretary Blinken.
Regarding the escalation, Blinken added that Russia is escalating with attacks on civilian targets inside Ukraine, on energy infrastructure and on the military defending their country.
And we see that Iran has now handed over ballistic missiles to Russia, which will intensify aggression against Ukraine. Therefore, if anyone is escalating, it seems to be Russia, – the American official added.
On September 11, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy arrived in Kyiv for a visit.
