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Defending Ukraine not included in NATO commitments, says US Secretary of State

Antony Blinken said that Ukraine is not a member of NATO and is not covered by the Article 5 commitment, but [we are] determined to do everything we can to defend it and to prevent or deter aggression directed toward it

GENEVA, January 21. /TASS/. NATO’s obligations do not include direct involvement in defending Ukraine, although the alliance will continue to support it, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference in Geneva, explaining why Washington had no plans to send troops to Ukraine to prevent alleged Russian invasion.

"Ukraine is a very valued partner of the United States and other countries in Europe. But our Article 5 commitment extends to NATO allies, something that we are deeply committed to. Ukraine is not a member of NATO and is not covered by the Article 5 commitment, but [we are] determined to do everything we can to defend it and to prevent or deter aggression directed toward it," the US diplomat noted.

Blinken, who met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday, stated that the US and its allies were loud and clear about severe economic consequences of Russia’s possible invasion of Ukraine and also about the plans to further strengthen NATO eastern flank. "We have proceeded with providing Ukraine with significant defensive military assistance," the Secretary of State mentioned.

The West and Kiev have recently been spreading allegations about Russia’s potential ‘invasion’ of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded", serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such allegations and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.