Blinken: US is not pushing Kiev authorities to “retake” Crimea

WORLD, Feb. 16 (YPA) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US is not pushing the Kiev authorities to “retake” Crimea, and explained that this decision is up to Kiev alone.

According to Politico, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Zoom call with a group of experts Wednesday, that an attempt by Ukraine to retake Crimea would be a red line for Vladimir Putin that could lead to a wider Russian response.

He said the US The administration’s main focus is helping Ukraine advance where the fight is, mainly in the east.

Blinken, according to two of the people, gave the impression that the U.S. doesn’t consider a push to retake Crimea to be a wise move at this time. He didn’t say those words explicitly, they underscored.

Two other people didn’t take Blinken’s comments that way. The secretary remarked that it is solely the Ukrainians’ decision as to what they try to take by force, not America’s. That signaled to them that Blinken was more open to a potential Ukrainian play for Crimea.

E.M