Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken Monday, resulting in an agreement that the country needs more weapons and sanctions to combat Russian aggression.
In a series of tweets Monday evening and Tuesday morning, Kuleba called on all states and international organizations to join Ukraine in “deputinizing” the world by ending the Russian leader’s influence in politics, diplomacy, business and other spheres.
“In our call, @SecBlinken affirmed that the U.S. support for Ukraine remains unfaltering. I underscored that Ukraine craves for peace, but as long as we are under Russia’s assault we need more sanctions and weapons. Secretary assured me of both. We coordinated further steps,” Kuleba wrote in a tweet.
This comes as sanctions have been made between Washington and Western allies against Russia in retaliation for the Ukrainian invasion over the past week. Among these, Biden imposed restrictions last week, targeting large financial institutions and limiting Russian access to overseas funds, investments and technology.
According to a report by Reuters Monday, the United States sent Ukraine weapons in the fall of 2021 and again in December, but the president instructed his State Department to release up to an additional $350 million worth of weapons from U.S. stocks.
While Blinken’s phone call reached an agreement to increase U.S. involvement in terms of weapons and sanctions, Reuters reports the West won’t be imposing a no-fly zone to shield Ukraine from Russian airstrike, stating it would bring Western forces into direct conflict with the Russian military.