Russia has already lost the war Ukraine in terms of the goals Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goals when his tanks rolled across the border 17 months ago, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview released Sunday.
Blinken spoke with confidence on the war’s outcome the same day Russian missiles tore through the historic district of the Ukraine port city of Odesa and Putin dismissed as a failure Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive.
“The objective was to erase Ukraine from the map, to eliminate its independence, its sovereignty, to subsume it into Russia. That failed a long time ago,” Blinken told CNN. Blinken acknowledged that Ukraine face “a very hard fight” and predicted that the war would continue for several more months.
But weaponry support from the West combined with the Ukrainian military grit and resolve should win the day, he said.
“Unlike the Russians, Ukrainians are fighting for their land, for their future, for their country, for their freedom,” Blinken said.
Developments:
∎ A Ukrainian drone strike Saturday caused a massive explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia-annexed Crimea, forcing the evacuation of nearby homes. Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Crimea in recent weeks and Zelenskyy has pledged to return control of the peninsula to Ukraine.
∎ The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador Serhiy Andreyev after the “provocative” statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin that western Poland was a “gift from Stalin.” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki tweeted that “Stalin was a war criminal, guilty of the death of hundreds of thousands of Poles.”
Russian missiles destroy Ukraine historic sites
Russian missiles tore through the historic district of Odesa early Sunday, damaging or destroying dozens of architectural landmarks in a city under siege from Russian might since Moscow broke off a deal that had allowed grain shipping from Odesa’s port.
Regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said at least one person was killed in the latest assault, and at least 22 others were wounded, including four children. Authorities said 40 buildings were severely damaged or destroyed, including 25 landmarks. Among the was the historic Transfiguration Cathedral that dates back to 1794.
“Everything that was created by great architects, destroyed by cynical people!,” the Odesa Regional Authority wrote in a Telegram post.
Olena Buynevych, the director of the Department of Education reported on Telegram that five preschool buildings were also damaged.
Ukrainian authorities said 19 Russian missiles were fired and nine of them were shot down by the missile defense system. Odesa provides a crucial port for export of Ukrainian grain desperately needed in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Last week, Russia broke off the agreement, reinstituted a blockade and began nightly strikes, most targeting the city’s grain siloes and docks.
“Missiles against peaceful cities, against residential buildings, a cathedral,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “There can be no excuse for Russian evil. As always, this evil will lose. And there will definitely be a retaliation to Russian terrorists for Odesa. They will feel this retaliation.”
Putin dismisses Ukraine counteroffensive as a failure
Ukraine’s counteroffensive has failed and Kyiv’s military has suffered losses of more than 26,000 troops in addition to mercenaries from other countries who have died “because of their stupidity,” Putin said Sunday. The Russian leader held a public discussion with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko in St. Petersburg. Lukashenko, Putin’s biggest ally, last month mediated the talks that halted a rebellion of Wagner Group fighters who had begun a march to Moscow. Thousands of those fighters are now bivouacked in Belarus.
Putin previously said Kyiv’s counteroffensive appeared unable to succeed despite “the colossal resources pumped in, nor the supply of weapons, tanks, artillery, armored vehicles, missiles, nor the dispatch of thousands of mercenaries and advisors.” Ukraine’s leaders have acknowledged that the counteroffensive has been a slow go but claim to liberate small amounts of occupied land every day.
