How US views Ukraine's victory: Blinken provides answer

According to Blinken, a significant success for Kyiv would be a strong and prosperous Ukraine integrated with the West, capable of standing on its own in military, economic, and democratic terms. He made this comment in response to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement that Ukraine and the West have different understandings of victory.

The Secretary of State noted that Ukraine should focus on its ability to deter the enemy and defend against aggression for many years.

"President Biden led the way in getting now more than 30 countries to agree to negotiate bilateral security agreements with Ukraine over a decade. And these agreements – now, I think nearly 20 have actually been negotiated and signed, including by the President and President Zelenskyy just a few weeks ago in Italy on the margins of the G7 – these are long-term commitments to helping Ukraine develop a strong deterrent and defense capacity. They also tell Vladimir Putin that he can’t outwait Ukraine, he can’t outwait all of Ukraine’s partners. At the same time, Ukraine is developing its own defense industrial base in a way that will enable it to help provide for itself," Blinken said.

He also addressed the issue of the economy, which is crucial. According to the Secretary of State, the US is working on attracting investments to Ukraine, and with proper investment, the Ukrainian economy has tremendous potential.

"And we’re trying to drive private sector investment into Ukraine to make sure that its economy can grow and thrive. We’ve already seen through the Black Sea that Ukraine is exporting as much as it was before February of 2022. There is extraordinary potential in Ukraine’s economy with the right investment. Now, of course, for both its military capacity and its economic capacity, you’ve got to make sure that you have air defenses in place to try to protect the areas in which you’re making investments. We’re driving that. I think you’ll see more news on that in the coming weeks as we get to the NATO summit actually next week," Blinken noted.

In conclusion, he added that a successful Ukraine would be the strongest response to Putin.

"And then finally, standing strongly democratically. The fact that the European Union has opened the accession process with Ukraine is the best guarantee that Ukraine will continue to make the necessary reforms to strengthen and deepen its democracy. The end result is a successful country and a country that as it stands on its own in these three areas is the strongest possible rebuke to Vladimir Putin," summarized the US Secretary of State.

At the upcoming NATO summit in Washington on July 11, the North Atlantic Alliance will appoint a coordinator for long-term aid to Ukraine.

Earlier, it was reported that the US Congress supports broader use of American weapons for strikes on Russian territory and the Russian defense industry.