No Peace Deal In Ukraine Until-Blinken
Insists Russia must withdraw from occupied areas
U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said Friday that any cease-fire deal in the war in Ukraine will not be declared without it being part of a “just and lasting” peace arrangement under which the Russia military must pull out.
Blinken spoke during a visit to Finland, one of NATO's newest members with a long border with Russia.
According to him, any “cease-fire that simply freezes current lines in place” with Vladimir Putin allowed “to consolidate control over the territory he has seized, and rest, rearm, and reattack-that is not a just and lasting peace.”
He pointed out that real deal ceasefire would equally involve Russia paying a share of Ukraine’s reconstruction, including being held accountable for launching its full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
According to him, allowing Moscow to keep the one-fifth of Ukrainian territory it occupied would send the wrong message to Russia and to “other would-be aggressors around the world.”
Blinken said further that the US was in support of a peace deal for Ukraine initiated by other countries, including that of China and Brazil. He insisted however, that such a deal must uphold the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.
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