US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin on Tuesday (October 19th) accused Russia of being an “
obstacle
” to peace in Ukraine, accusing Moscow of destabilizing the Black Sea region.
"
We call on Russia to end its occupation of Crimea and to stop prolonging the war in eastern Ukraine and its destabilizing activities in the Black Sea and along the Ukrainian borders
," said Lloyd Austin.
"
Russia has started this war and Russia is blocking its peaceful resolution
," he added, during a meeting in Kiev with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Taran.
Read alsoBetween Russia and NATO, the climate is deteriorating further
Ukraine has been facing a war since 2014 with pro-Russian separatists, widely seen as manipulated by Moscow. This conflict, which erupted a few weeks after Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, has left more than 13,000 dead.
Lloyd Austin is currently on a tour around the Black Sea.
He has already visited Georgia on Monday, another former Soviet republic, like Ukraine, wishing to join NATO.
He will then travel to Romania, already a member of the Alliance.
He said on Tuesday that the tour was important to strengthen the cooperation of countries in the region in the face of Russian activities.
"
This region remains crucial for us
", he declared, while several Western countries worry about a growing disinterest of Washington towards the Old continent for the benefit of the Indo-Pacific zone.
"Repel Russian aggression"
Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Taran said he always trusted the Americans. “
We have no doubts about the support of our strategic partner. The United States understands the importance of Ukraine's fight for its independence and to repel Russian aggression
, ”he said. At the end of August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Andriy Taran traveled to Washington, where President Joe Biden had promised to support Ukraine against Russia. Volodymyr Zelensky walked away with a pledge of $ 60 million in additional military aid, especially anti-tank missiles. Part of this aid was delivered to Kiev on Monday.
According to Joe Biden, since 2014, the United States has allocated at least $ 2.5 billion in aid to the Ukrainian armed forces, including more than $ 400 million in 2021 alone. In return, Washington insists that Kiev deepen seriously reforms in its army and its military industry, in particular to eliminate corruption, which remains endemic in Ukraine, considered to be the poorest country in Europe.
The quest for better governance in Ukraine has been a goal supported by the West for years.
These reforms are supposed to lead to a stronger collaboration with NATO, to which Kiev wishes to join, to the chagrin of Moscow.
But Europeans and Americans have so far shown little enthusiasm for accelerating Ukrainian integration into the Alliance.
