US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. File photoWASHINGTON, Jun 1 The U.S. believes fighting in Ukraine could last «many more months» and sees no sign of an end to the conflict, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Wednesday. «We cannot predict how and when it will be resolved. According to our best estimates today, this conflict will continue for many more months. Again, everything can end tomorrow if Russia decides to stop the aggression (against Ukraine — ed.),» Blinken said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Washington. The head of American diplomacy noted that at the moment the United States does not see signs of an early end to the clashes in Ukraine. «As [the conflict] unfolds, we want to ensure that Kyiv has everything it needs to defend itself. We also want to make sure that Russia feels pressure from as many countries as possible to put an end to this aggression,» The US Secretary of State added that Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, as of March 25, the Armed Forces completed the main tasks of the first stage — they significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass. Along with the Russian military, units of the DPR and LPR are operating in the region.
