Support for Ukraine, Russian aggression, and the possibility of a new agreement. What Zelenskyy discussed with Blinken

Author

Natalia Myronova

On the night of May 5-6, 2021, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv "with a desire to strengthen the partnership between Ukraine and the United States." During the visit, a meeting was held with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. has compiled information—what Zelenskyy and Blinken talked about.

About Russian troops

Russia withdrew only some of its troops from the Ukrainian border. Substantial forces of the Russian army remain at the borders of Ukraine and threats from Russia remain. According to Blinken, the Russian Federation has an opportunity for aggressive actions in a short time.

"The largest group of Russian forces has concentrated on the border with Ukraine since 2014... We are very closely monitoring the development of the situation," Blinken said.

He added that Russia is not acting within the framework of goodwill, both with regard to Crimea and Donbas. To restore Ukrainian territorial integrity, it is important that the Russian Federation stops these actions.

Zelenskyy added that he considers the pace of the Russian troops withdrawal to be slow.

"So far, we have not seen a reduction anywhere else. We believe this downward is slow. Therefore, it is likely that there may be a threat. Nobody wants surprises," the President said.

About supporting Ukraine

"We support the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of Ukraine. By the way, I am very pleased that this position is shared by all members of the G7," Blinken said.

Blinken, on behalf of US President Joe Biden, said that the United States values friendship and partnership with Ukraine. Countries are restoring and developing it.

"This is our first meeting, although there is a feeling that it is not the first, because I am amazed that the team is well-versed in what is happening here, knows all the details very well. They know the situation in Donbas very well... We discussed the issue of not only the occupation of our territories, the illegal annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, we discussed Nord Stream 2, this is a very sensitive issue for Ukraine," Zelenskyy added.

After meeting with Blinken, Zelenskyy announced a "likely very serious agreement" with the United States.

About combating corruption

Blinken and Zelenskyy discussed issues of reform and the eradication of corruption. They also discussed the work that the Rada carried out on the reforms of the SBU.

"Combating corruption is one of the most important issues for the Ukrainian people and decisive for improving their lives. We also talked about issues of corporate governance, transparency, integrity and independence of anti-corruption bodies and the judiciary reform" said Blinken.

According to him, there are many forces, external and internal, that oppose this. For example, Russia can be attributed to the external forces, and the oligarchs who serve themselves are internal forces.

"Significant challenges remain, but significant progress is also being made—land reform, a new law on illegal income, a new law on parliamentary immunity—these are all very important. The last thing I want to say, we heard that the Ukrainian people want to see not only the enactment of laws, but also their implementation, including combating corruption," he said.

About inviting Biden to Ukraine

"Yes, I have invited US President Biden to come to Ukraine on an official visit this year. I do not know in what format this meeting may take place—it depends on the two countries," Zelenskyy said.

Blinken said he would pass on Zelenskyy's invitation to Biden. But they cannot speak of a specific date for the visit, primarily due to the coronavirus pandemic.