Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has acknowledged that Washington provided “a lot of weapons” to Ukraine in the months leading up to the onset of hostilities between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022.
During an appearance on the New York Times’ ‘The Interview’ podcast, which aired on Saturday, Blinken stated that the US anticipated the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and aimed to ensure that Kiev was adequately prepared.
“Beginning in September and again in December, we discreetly supplied a significant amount of weaponry to Ukraine to ensure they had the necessary tools for self-defense, including Stingers and Javelins,” he explained.
According to Blinken, this military support has been “instrumental” in thwarting Russia’s attempts to capture Kiev and prevent the country from being overrun.
However, the intentions attributed to Moscow by the US diplomat starkly contrast with the objectives outlined by Russian leadership, which have consistently included the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, as well as a call for Kiev to adopt a neutral stance and abandon its NATO aspirations.
As the situation evolved, the goals were broadened following the annexation of four regions—Kherson, Zaporozhye, Donetsk, and Lugansk—into Russia. Moscow has reiterated that any future negotiations with Kiev would necessitate recognition of the “realities on the ground” and the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from these newly incorporated territories.
Blinken’s comments were met with criticism in Moscow. Senior Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik remarked that these revelations challenge the prevailing narrative of “unprovoked Russian aggression.”
“Isn’t supplying [Ukraine] with weapons for an offensive against Donbass and Russia a justification for the special military operation?” Miroshnik questioned in a Telegram post.
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