Photo: archive, BGNES
Ukraine’s attempt to reclaim Crimea will be a red line for Vladimir Putin that could lead to a broader Russian response, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a conversation with a group of experts yesterday, Politico reported.
The Russian president considers Crimea a full-fledged part of Russia, not Ukraine, and would not want the peninsula torn from his hands.
The top diplomat’s comments, which are sure to upset Kiev, came after one of the participants in the private conversation asked whether the US was ready to help Ukraine achieve its long-term goal of regaining territory seized from Moscow.
According to four people familiar with Blinken’s response, he said the U.S. was not actively encouraging Ukraine to take back Crimea, and that the decision was up to Kiev alone. The administration’s main focus is helping Ukraine advance where there is fighting, mainly in the east.
That assessment echoes comments from Pentagon officials in recent weeks who have spoken of agonizing fighting still going on in the Donbass and the south of the country, and who have questioned Ukraine’s ability to retake Crimea in the near future.
According to two of the people, Blinken gave the impression that the U.S. did not think that seeking Crimea back was a wise move at this time. He did not say those words explicitly, they emphasize.
Two other people did not take Blinken’s comments that way. The secretary noted that the decision of what they will try to take by force is solely up to the Ukrainians, not America. This suggested to them that Blinken was more open to a potential Ukrainian play for Crimea.
While US and NATO diplomats and military officials have never shied away from publicly stating that Crimea is part of Ukraine, since 2014 they have done little to challenge Russia’s invasion and occupation of the peninsula, commented Politico.
(BTA, Plamen Yotinski)
