US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on February 15 during a video conference with a group of experts said that Washington does not actively encourage Ukraine to attack Crimea, but only Kyiv makes the decision. This publication reported Politico.
It is noted that during the conversation, Blinken was asked whether the United States was ready to help Ukraine achieve its goal of capturing the peninsula. He stressed that Kyiv’s attempt to establish control over Crimea could become a red line for Russia and provoke a stronger reaction from Moscow.
“According to four people familiar with Blinken’s response, he said that the United States is not actively encouraging Ukraine to reclaim Crimea, but only Kyiv makes the decision. The administration’s main focus is helping Ukraine advance where the struggle is, mostly in the east.
According to two sources, Blinken gave the impression that the US did not consider the effort to retake the peninsula a wise move, but the politician did not express his position directly.
Earlier, on February 10, The Times, citing sources, wrote that Kyiv could use long-range missiles to strike at Crimea. The publication claims that negotiations are currently underway on the number of missiles that the UK is ready to supply to Kyiv.
On the same day, a member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, Dmitry Belik, commenting on this information, said that Crimea is a strategic object, it is fortified with serious weapons and military equipment, so Russia “has something to stand up for the peninsula.”
Earlier, on February 7, a former adviser to the head of the Pentagon, retired US Army Colonel Douglas McGregor, laughed at the plans of Polish President Andrzej Duda to help the Ukrainian authorities seize Crimea.
On February 4, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev recalled that Crimea is the territory of Russia, therefore, a possible attack by Ukraine on the peninsula would be a direct path to escalation and would entail retaliatory measures from Moscow. Medvedev warned that if the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) hit targets in Crimea, Russia would respond with “retaliatory strikes.” He also stressed that in this case there would be no negotiations.
On February 3, the Pentagon announced the allocation of a new $ 2.17 billion military assistance package to Ukraine, which included GLSDB shells with a range of 150 km. Later, the US defense department said that the United States was leaving it up to Kyiv to use long-range projectiles to strike at Crimea.
In turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured of the reliability of the security of the peninsula. However, he stressed that Donbass is not fully protected yet, so the special military operation continues.
Crimea became a Russian region in March 2014 following a referendum following a coup in Ukraine. Kyiv still considers Crimea its territory. The Russian leadership has repeatedly stated that the inhabitants of the republic voted for reunification democratically, in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the issue of Crimea is “finally closed.”
