Blinken: AFU success in Ukraine's north-east is result, first of all, of extraordinary courage of Ukrainians

KYIV. Sept 13 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine has made significant progress in liberating territories from Russian occupation thanks to the courage of the Armed Forces and the Ukrainian people, as well as international support, but it is too early to make long-term forecasts, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says.

"Having said all of that, it is too early to tell exactly where this is going. The Russians maintain very significant forces in Ukraine, as well as equipment and arms and munitions. They continue to use it indiscriminately against not just the Ukrainian armed forces but civilians and civilian infrastructure, as we’ve seen. The brutalization of the country continues by the Russian aggressor, and there is, I think, unfortunately the prospect that this continues to go on," Blinken said at a press conference in Mexico City.

He stressed that the success of the Ukrainian Armed Forces offensive in the east was very methodically planned and made possible thanks to significant support from the United States and other countries that provide the equipment necessary to continue the counteroffensive to liberate the occupied territories.

"But clearly we’ve seen significant progress by the Ukrainians, particularly in the northeast, and that is a product, as I said, of the support we provided, but first and foremost, it’s a product of the extraordinary courage and resilience of the Ukrainian armed forces and the Ukrainian people. That’s the biggest difference maker. And as I’ve had the occasion to say, fundamentally, Ukraine is fighting for its homeland, for its future. The Russians who are there are not. Ukraine is not theirs. Ukraine does not belong to Russia. It belongs to the Ukrainian people, and that’s the single biggest difference maker, as I said, that I think we’re seeing play out now," Blinken said.