The head of American diplomacy called on Thursday, May 6, Russia to cease its "aggressive" behavior towards Ukraine, Russian armed forces in significant numbers remaining deployed on the border with this country.
"We are looking to Russia to stop its dangerous and aggressive actions," said Antony Blinken, during his meeting in Kiev with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"We are aware that Russia has withdrawn some forces from its border with Ukraine, but we see that there are still significant forces," he stressed, promising to work with Ukraine so that " can defend itself against aggression ".
For his part, Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the Russian withdrawal "too slow", announced by Moscow on April 23 after weeks of tension following the deployment of tens of thousands of men on their common border and in the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
This show of force made Kiev and the West fear a possible offensive, or even an invasion.
Especially since this massive deployment was accompanied by a resurgence of violence in the conflict with pro-Russian separatists, whose war with the Ukrainian army in the east of the country has killed more than 13,000 since 2014.
"We consider the reduction [of Russian troops] to be too slow, which is why the threat may still exist," Volodymyr Zelensky said.
He still welcomed a drop in separatist sniper attacks on the front line in the East.
Widely considered as the military and financial godfather of these rebels, Russia had affirmed that its troop movements "did not threaten anyone", and that it was a response to "aggressive" NATO operations in Eastern Europe.
Washington, Brussels and NATO have multiplied the declarations of support for Kiev, but have not acceded to the Ukrainian request to accelerate its accession to the Atlantic Alliance, a red line for Moscow.
The first senior US official to visit Ukraine since Joe Biden's inauguration in January, Antony Blinken prayed at a memorial to soldiers killed in the war with the separatists.
Oligarchs and corruption
"I really came" to "express personally on behalf of President Biden how much we appreciate our friendship, our partnership with Ukraine," he told the Ukrainian president.
"We are firmly on your side."
Kiev, for its part, said it "deeply appreciates" Washington's aid since 2014, underlined the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba.
This year alone, Washington plans to provide Kiev with security and military aid worth more than $ 400 million.
Ukraine also hopes, analysts said, for continued deliveries of lethal US weapons.
Volodymyr Zelensky also invited President Joe Biden to attend a summit on Crimea scheduled for Kiev in August, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence.
The US Secretary of State's trip comes as the White House has stepped up pressure on Russia with new sanctions and expulsions of diplomats, while seeking to host a summit between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin in June.
Beyond international tensions, Antony Blinken urged Kiev to more actively attack corruption, a hot issue in the country and in relations with the West.
Ukraine faces two challenges: "external forces like Russia, but also internal forces, like oligarchs and other powerful individuals who pursue their own interests through illegitimate means to the detriment of the interests of the Ukrainian people", stressed Antony Blinken.
A recent Ukrainian decision has gripped both Washington and Brussels: the dismissal at the end of April of the boss of the national energy giant Naftogaz, Andriï Koboliev, renowned reformer, and of the observatory board of this company.
Washington had denounced a decision testifying to a "contempt for fair and transparent governance practices".
With AFP
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