(ANSA) - BRUSSELS, SEPTEMBER 09 - "We will not leave our European friends in the cold".
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
"But this is the time to choose: leave behind the independence from Russian energy, which Moscow will never stop using as blackmail, and proceed with the energy transition", he added.
"Right now we don't see Russia's willingness to go back to diplomacy. Our unity is essential to achieving the goals: increasing the pressure on Russia and ensuring that Ukraine is in a stronger position when negotiations begin, as the war will end when there will be an agreement between Kiev and Moscow ", he continued, specifying:" But the conflict can last a long time, Russia has many resources ".
"The first signs of the Ukrainian counter-offensive are positive, the armed forces of Kiev are making tangible progress, in Kherson as in Kharkiv: Ukraine has withstood the blow and is now responding, certainly thanks to our help but also and above all because it fights for its freedom. ", Blinken commented.
"However, we do not yet know where he will lead the counter-offensive", he admonished, underlining that "Putin has shown that he is willing to use many men and resources, despite this entailing a great cost for Russia's future".
(HANDLE).
