Blinken emphasized that Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity must be preserved. "But how this is specifically defined in the territory, we're waiting for the Ukrainians to tell us." At the same time, the US Secretary of State added: "I believe there are areas in Ukraine where Ukrainians are determined to fight on the ground. And maybe there are areas where they decide they want to try to regained in other ways."

According to observers, the head of US diplomacy let it be known that Washington does not believe that it is likely that Kiev's troops will retake all of the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia - especially Crimea.