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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Friday that the US is not seeking “regime change” in Moscow.
“In any case, it does not depend on us,” he told the BBC from Brussels. “The Russian people need to decide on their leadership. They need to decide if the leaders that are there really promote and represent their needs, their interests, their will. It’s completely out of our control.”
Blinken said he would ask the Russians, if he could, how “aggressive, unprovoked, unjustified war against Ukraine” is helping them in their daily lives.
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“How do you send your child to school? How do you get a job? How does it purify the air? How do you deal with things that you care about? – he asked.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken speaks at a press conference in Brussels on Friday, March 4, 2022 (Associated Press)
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On the contrary, he told the BBC, the Russian people are “tragically” bearing the brunt of President Vladimir Putin’s war because of the massive sanctions imposed on the country by the United States and its allies.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine. (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool)
The Secretary of State also praised the “resilience” of the Ukrainian people, stating: “If Moscow intends to somehow try to overthrow the government and install its own puppet regime, 45 million Ukrainians will reject it one way or another. ”
Blinken arrived in Brussels on Friday for meetings with NATO allies. He will be in Europe for a week, traveling close to Poland, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
His rejection of regime change came a day after US Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the royal family, was heavily criticized for suggesting that someone in Russia kill Putin. Blinken did not mention Graham’s tweet in his comments.
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The White House also denied Graham’s words.
“This is not the position of the United States government, and certainly not the kind of statement you will hear from anyone in this administration,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.
On Friday, Graham backed off slightly, calling for Putin’s arrest and saying the Russian leader should be declared a war criminal.