The United States is well informed about the situation in Donbas and near Ukraine's borders and actively supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Kyiv.
"Many steps have been taken to stop the escalation that could have taken place recently near our borders, on the part of the temporarily occupied part of Donbas and the temporarily occupied Crimea," the President stressed.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the United States for increasing military, technical and financial support for Ukraine.
The President also said that during the meeting with Antony Blinken he raised the issue of support from the United States for Ukraine's aspiration to obtain a NATO Membership Action Plan, as well as security in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
In addition, the parties discussed the issue of countering the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project, which is very sensitive for Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted the common position with the United States on this issue and thanked the American side for the strong sanctions policy as regards this project.
For his part, Antony Blinken reaffirmed the United States' unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said that during his visit to Kyiv he honored the memory of those who gave their lives defending Ukrainian democracy.
"We see that on the border with Ukraine there is now a concentration of Russian troops, the largest since 2014. We support you, your partners and allies also support you. And we appeal to Russia to stop using aggression against Ukraine. We are working with our partners to ensure that Ukraine can protect itself from Russian aggression," the Secretary of State stressed.
Antony Blinken noted that the United States continues to closely monitor the situation on the Ukrainian-Russian border, as Russia has only partially withdrawn its troops.
"We highly appreciate the balanced position shown by Ukraine during these provocative actions," he added.
The US Secretary of State said that he had discussed with the President of Ukraine the Minsk process in terms of resolving the situation in Donbas, in particular how to facilitate that diplomatic process. Antony Blinken said Ukraine must restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea.
