Blinken Says, West Will Prove Putin 'Wrong Again'

The United States said on Wednesday it will continue to unite countries around the world to support Ukraine’s freedom and independence, and ensure that Russian aggression remains a strategic failure, as the top U.S. diplomat put it, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports from the State Department.

"Putin is betting that our divisions will prevent us from coming through for Ukraine. We have proven him wrong before; we will prove him wrong again," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at a year-end press conference.

Putin, he explained, "thinks his strategy of waiting us out while sending wave after wave of young Russians into a meat grinder of his own making will pay off."

"On one and only one point, I agree with Putin: America’s ongoing support is critical to enabling Ukraine’s brave soldiers and citizens to keep up their fight, to ensure that Russia’s war remains a strategic failure, and to continue helping Ukraine move toward standing strongly on its own two feet militarily, economically, and democratically," Blinken added.

As the world heads into 2024, Blinken said the U.S. will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with "those who share our vision" for a free, open, prosperous and secure world, "because that’s what delivering for the American people demands."

He went on to elaborate: "Putin has already failed to achieve his principal objective in Ukraine: erasing it from the map, subsuming it into Russia... It’s been a hard year on the battlefield, but, once again, Ukrainians have done what no one thought was possible: They stood toe to toe with one of the world’s biggest militaries, they conceded no territory despite multiple Russian offensives, and they pushed Russia’s navy back in the Black Sea and opened a corridor to allow them to export their grain and other products to the world."

Russia, Blinken said, is weaker militarily, economically, diplomatically.  NATO is bigger and stronger and more united than at any point in its nearly 75-year history.

"This year, we added our 31st member of NATO – Finland.  And Sweden will join soon, bringing even greater potency and capability to our defensive alliance," he reminded.

Blinken devoted much of his time on the podium to rallying the Congress and countries around the world to continue supporting Ukraine's freedom and independence, and underscoring the importance of ending the Israel-Hamas war as quickly as possible.

"Here’s who benefits if Congress passes this supplemental: our fellow citizens, our businesses, our workers, our allies and partners, people around the world who are looking to the United States to lead.  Here’s who cheers if we fail: Moscow, Tehran, Beijing.  If we come up short, it won’t be our adversaries and competitors who stopped us.  It will be ourselves," he said.

On the war in the Middle East that erupted in October. Blinken said, "We continue to believe that Israel does not have to choose between removing the threat of Hamas and minimizing the toll on civilians in Gaza."