Houston, US, Oct 3 (EFE).- Secretary of State Antony Blinken has admitted that there was skepticism in the United States about supporting Ukraine in its war against the Russian invasion.
However, he staunchly defended the US efforts to continue aiding Ukraine against Russia because “it matters to our own national interest.”
“Often in these situations, Americans get a little bit frustrated because it seems like we are carrying so much of the load. We are. But in terms of burden-sharing in this particular instance, the rest of the world is doing a remarkable job,” he said in a conversation at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.
Blinken made the comments after the United States House of Representatives ousted Republican Kevin McCarthy after an internal rebellion in the GOP.
The ouster has thrown the House into a state of uncertainty given the ongoing negotiations for the fiscal year 2024 budget.
Also in limbo is US aid to Ukraine, which was excluded from the 45-day public financing extension and is slated for consideration in a separate bill.
The Republicans most aligned with former president Donald Trump have questioned the military aid to Ukraine.
With a contribution exceeding $40 billion, the US remains the largest donor of military assistance to Ukraine since the start of the conflict in February 2022.
Blinken insisted that the US was not alone in supporting Ukraine militarily and financially.
“What we are doing about it is very straightforward. We have helped to build, I think, an extraordinary international coalition of countries, not just in Europe but well beyond, that are standing with and standing up for Ukraine—military assistance, economic support, humanitarian assistance,” he said.
Blinken said Russian President Vladimir Putin had “made a profound miscalculation, and that has played out in a way that’s been historically detrimental to Russia and its interests.”
“Russia is now weaker militarily. It is weaker economically. It is weaker diplomatically. Putin himself is a pariah in much of the world.”
He said Russia was “unfortunately, tragically, a challenge” to the basic principles “that define the order – territorial sovereignty, independence.”
“So standing up for these principles…It’s not simply because we want to help people in Ukraine who are being aggressed.”
He said the principles at the heart of the international system were being attacked. “If we don’t defend them, we’re going to be opening Pandora’s box, and we’re going to get a world of hurt that won’t be good for us.” EFE
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