Blinken hopes US under Trump to continue helping Ukraine

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said he hopes that Washington will continue supporting Ukraine after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

"Standing for Ukraine is, I believe, an important national interest," he told a news conference after a G7 ministerial meeting in Italy, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

"We have a bipartisan majority in both houses of Congress who supported the supplemental budget appropriation for Ukraine."

According to Blinken, the administration of outgoing US President Joe Biden is determined "to do everything possible to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to be able <…> to fight through 2025 if necessary, or if there's a negotiation, to be able to negotiate from a position of strength."

"And I'm convinced by everything I've heard that European support, support beyond Europe, will remain strong, and I am hopeful that the United States will also continue the efforts we've made," he stressed, adding that the United States’ spending on the support for Ukraine "redound to our benefit in so many ways," helping to develop the US defence production.

"The reality is this, Ukraine is fighting for us. It's not just fighting for itself. It's fighting for us," he stressed.

The Russian side, however, has repeatedly said that weapons supplies to Kyiv will not change the situation on the battlefield but will only protract the conflict.

By Khagan Isayev