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Military operation in Ukraine

NATO to keep anti-Russian sanctions for as long as necessary — Blinken

All NATO member states are committed to keep the anti-Russian sanctions in place for as long as is necessary, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken EPA-EFE/CLEMENS BILAN

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken

© EPA-EFE/CLEMENS BILAN

BERLIN, May 15. /TASS/. All NATO member states are committed to keep the anti-Russian sanctions in place for as long as is necessary, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a news conference on Sunday after an informal meeting of NATO top diplomats in Berlin.

"Every member of the alliance wants to bring this war to an end as soon as possible. We are clearly determined to maintain our security assistance to Ukraine, to continue our sanctions, export control and diplomatic pressure on Russia for as long as is necessary," he said, adding that his country and its NATO allies are "focused on giving Ukraine as strong support as possible on battlefield and at a negotiation table."

Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said earlier that Ukraine’s militarization by the West "directly threatens European and global security." Moscow is calling on "the sponsors of the Kiev regime to stop instigating bloodshed in Ukraine and think about the consequences of their actions," he said, commenting on weapons supplies to Ukraine.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aimed to demilitarize and denazify the country.

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Commissioning of Oreshnik and new developments: Putin’s meeting with defense specialists

Here are the key statements, made during the meeting

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Western air defense systems unlikely to intercept Russian missiles — France’s Le Monde

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