Blinken emphasizes importance of strong Ukraine in achieving peace with Russia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that a strong Ukraine in control of its own territory is a prerequisite for talks with Russia, warning against a "Potemkin" or fake peace through a ceasefire. He also mocked critics who said that peace meant to "stop supporting Ukraine" or for Kyiv to "cut its losses and give up the fifth of its territory that Russia illegally occupies." Blinken instead vowed to keep building a "military of the future" for Ukraine, which has received some $50 billion in US assistance since the war, with the United States recently agreeing to F-16 fighter-jets.