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US to continue to support Ukraine in regaining control of its territory — Blinken

The US top diplomat informed his counterpart about the next military aid package announced by Washington earlier this week

WASHINGTON, October 2. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba in a telephone conversation on Saturday that the US would always respect Ukraine's internationally recognized borders and continue to support its efforts to regain control over its territory, the press service of the State Department reported after the conversation.

The Secretary of State reiterated that "[US] President [Joe] Biden’s message that the United States will always honor Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders and that we will continue to support Ukraine’s efforts to regain control of its territory by strengthening its hand militarily and diplomatically," the statement said.

In addition, the US top diplomat informed his counterpart about the next military aid package announced by Washington earlier this week, as well as future deliveries. In addition, the sides discussed supplies of Ukrainian grain and security of nuclear facilities in Ukraine.

From September 23 to 27, the Donetsk and the Lugansk People’s Republics, as well as the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions held referendums on becoming part of Russia. An overwhelming majority of their residents voted in favor of becoming part of the Russian Federation. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics and the Zaporozhye and Kherson regions signed treaties on the accession of these regions to Russia.

The Russian leader stated at the ceremony of the accession of the aforementioned regions that the Russian Federation was ready to resume negotiations with Ukraine, but would not discuss the choice of residents of Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions as they became Russians ‘once and for all’. Moscow, Putin stressed, would defend its new territories with "all available forces and means," while the West had no moral right to question the results of the referendums.