issuing time: 01/06/2022 – 22:59
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken said on Wednesday that “as long as Russia stops aggression in Ukraine, the war will end immediately, but there is no sign of it at the moment.” The strategic city of Severo Donetsk in the eastern Donbass of Ukraine has been “nearly” lost under the Russian offensive as the Ukrainian army awaits the supply of the latest weapons from the United States.
An unnamed Western security official said Russian troops were making steady progress in eastern Ukraine, AFP reported. News on Wednesday said the strategic city of Severo Donetsk in the Donbass was close to “fall”. However, the Ukrainian army launched a counter-offensive in the southern Russian-held Kherson area and made progress. Ukraine also confirmed on Wednesday that the Ukrainian army launched a counterattack in Kherson and won a partial victory.
After 98 days of war, the Russian army now controls 70 percent of Severo Donetsk, Luhansk Oblast Governor Gaidai announced in Ukrainian media on Wednesday.
Agence France-Presse also quoted the Western official as saying that “the war may continue until the end of this year, or even longer.”
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken met NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Ukraine. “As long as Russia chooses to end the aggression, the war can end tomorrow, but at this stage we don’t see any signs of the situation moving in that direction,” Blinken said at a news conference after the meeting.
Blinken said that according to the U.S. assessment, the Russian-Ukrainian war will last for several months. As long as the fighting lasts for one day, the United States will continue to support the Ukrainian people to ensure that they can effectively defend the territory.
Asked how the U.S. supply of long-range weapons systems to Ukraine could de-escalate the situation, Blinken said the Ukrainian side had pledged not to use Washington-supplied long-range weapons systems to targets on Russian soil. Blinken pointed out that the United States provides Ukraine with weapons that fully meet the needs of the other side, and will strengthen Ukraine’s influence in future negotiations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to reduce NATO’s influence, but instead, more countries joined NATO, Blinken said, stressing that NATO defends any territory of member states and has sent an additional 20,000 troops to the eastern flank.
NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg said he was in close contact with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the leaders of Finland and Sweden to reach a consensus on the Nordic countries joining NATO.