Blinken says U.S. neither encourages nor enables Ukraine to strike inside Russia

Record ID: 1701155

  • Title: Blinken says U.S. neither encourages nor enables Ukraine to strike inside Russia
  • Date: 6th December 2022
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 6, 2022) (STATE TV) AUSTRALIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR DEFENCE, RICHARD MARLES; AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, PENNY WONG; U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, ANTONY BLINKEN AND U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, LLOYD AUSTIN, DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, ANTONY BLINKEN, SAYING: “Strike upon strike, coming from Russia, and now trying to take out the civilian infrastructure that is allowing people to have heat, to have water, to have electricity, what we’ve called ‘weaponizing winter.’ That is the daily and nightly reality in Ukraine. We have neither encouraged nor enabled the Ukrainians to strike inside of Russia but the important thing is to understand what Ukrainians are living through every day with the ongoing Russian aggression against their country and our determination to make sure that they have in their hands along with many other partners around the world the equipment that they need, to defend themselves, to defend their territory, to defend their freedom.” OFFICIALS DURING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE, ANTONY BLINKEN, SAYING: “China's watching very carefully what's happening in Ukraine, watching very carefully the response of the United States and countries around the world to the Russian aggression. And what they’ve seen are countries coming together in extraordinary ways to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself, to put tremendous pressure on Russia to end its aggression and as well to make sure that, in the case of NATO, we are strengthening our own capacity to defend ourselves in case that aggression were to spread.” (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, LLOYD AUSTIN, SAYING (SOUNBITE BEGINS WITH SHOT OF OFFICIALS) “'Is the US working to prevent Ukraine from developing its own long-range strike capability?’ The short answer is no. We're absolutely not doing that. As you’ve seen we've spent well over 19 billion dollars in providing security assistance to Ukraine. We have, in addition to that, engaged allies and partners routinely to get them to provide assistance as well, security assistance as well.” OFFICIALS LEAVING LECTERNS
  • Embargoed: 20th December 2022 23:50
  • Keywords: AUKUS AUSMIN Antony Blinken Australia Lloyd Austin Penny Wong Richard Marles United States
  • Location: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
  • City: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,North America,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001493206122022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:The United States is not stopping Ukraine from developing their own capabilities to carry out long-range strikes, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Tuesday (December 6).
    Austin, joined by Australian officials and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said the United States had spent
    well over 19 billion dollars in providing security assistance to Ukraine and asked partners to join in procuring military aid for Ukraine.
    A third Russian airfield was set ablaze on Tuesday by a drone strike, a day after Ukraine demonstrated an apparent new ability to penetrate hundreds of kilometers into Russian air space with attacks on two bases.
    Officials in the Russian city of Kursk, around 90 km (60 miles) north of the Ukraine border, released pictures of black smoke above an airfield in Tuesday's early hours after the latest strike. The governor said an oil storage tank had gone up in flames, but there were no casualties.
    On Monday, Russia said it had been hit hundreds of kilometers from Ukraine by what it said were Soviet-era drones - at Engels air base, home to Russia's strategic bomber fleet, and in Ryazan, a few hours' drive from Moscow.
    Ukraine did not directly claim responsibility for the strikes, but nonetheless celebrated them.
    U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said there was no confirmation the strikes were carried out by Ukraine.
    (Production: Gerardo Gomez)
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