Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is prepared to respond in concert with Ukraine and other allies “if and when Russia is ready to work for true peace.” Speaking in Helsinki, Blinken said a cease fire “that simply freezes current lines in place” would “legitimize Putin’s land-grab. It will reward the aggressor and punish the victim.”
(Bloomberg) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US is prepared to respond in concert with Ukraine and other allies “if and when Russia is ready to work for true peace.” Speaking in Helsinki, Blinken said a cease fire “that simply freezes current lines in place” would “legitimize Putin’s land-grab. It will reward the aggressor and punish the victim.”
Hungary’s premier repeated a call for a cease fire before Ukraine’s expected counteroffensive, drawing a rebuke from one of Voldymyr Zelenskiy’s top aides. Viktor Orban’s position “insults the values of the European Union and international law in general,” Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. “If the Hungarian Prime Minister is really worried about casualties, he should call his ‘friend Putin’ and ask him to withdraw Russian armed forces.”
“Russia’s daily missile barrages and drone attacks at Ukrainian cities prove that Moscow is not considering scenarios other than continuing the war,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko said on Facebook. Air raid sirens were heard across Ukraine again early on Friday. Fifteen cruise missiles and at least 21 Shahed drones were shot down in the Kyiv region. Ukraine’s capital has been attacked by Russia from the air on each of the past six nights. No casualties were immediately reported, after at least three people, including a child, were killed in Thursday’s barrage. Drone attacks have been reported across a widening swath of Russia, including the Smolensk region, some 250 km (155 miles) north of the border with Ukraine.
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