US State Secretary Confirmed Support for Kiev amid Aggravation in Donbass

Anthony Blinken discussed with Dmytro Kuleba "Russia's aggression in Donbass and Crimea," the US State Department stated. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, confirmed his unshakable support for "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian aggression in Donbass and Crimea." This announced the press service of the US State Department on Wednesday, March 31. Blinken's statement followed against the background of The New York Times publication that Moscow, according to publication sources, pulled about 4,000 troops to the border with Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has not yet commented on troops and equipment transfer messages. Blinken expressed concern about the security situation in eastern Ukraine, as well as condolences in connection with the death of four Ukrainian soldiers on March 26, due to shelling in the area of the village of Shumy. Ukrainian Foreign Minister: We are talking about a systemic exacerbation As pointed out in the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Kuleba drew the attention of his American counterpart "to the systemic exacerbation of the security situation on the contact line by Russia" against the background of the unwillingness of "the Russian Federation to confirm its adherence to the ceasefire regime." According to the head of the American foreign policy department, for further Euro-Atlantic integration of Kiev it is necessary to "promote the rule of law and economic reforms" in the country. Security Partnership During the conversation, Anthony Blinken and Dmitry Kuleba also discussed the fight against the pandemic and the consequences of climate change, the State Department stressed. In mid-March, a group of US senators presented a draft security partnership with Ukraine. The document, submitted to the US Senate Committee on International Affairs, provides, in particular, the allocation of up to $ 300 million (255 million euros) to Kiev per year in military aid and $ 4 million (3.4 million euros) per year to train the Ukrainian military officers.