Russia must pay for Ukraine’s reconstruction — Blinken

US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on Tuesday said that the international community must make Russia pay for the destruction it has inflicted on Ukraine through more than two years of war.

Blinken said Russia must pay literally for the destruction it has wrought on Ukraine

“There is one more crucial step we can take: making Russia pay for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.

“What Putin destroyed Russia should and must pay to rebuild. It’s what international law demands. It’s what the Ukrainian people deserve.”

The secretary of state vowed to “seize” Russian assets in the US and “immobilise” the country’s foreign assets in order to force these payments.

He also praised Ukrainian workers and business owners who have “kept the economy running”, noting that steel factories have doubled their output over the last six months and exports now exceed pre-war levels.

“This economic dynamism hinges on our ability to provide security,” he said.

Blinken also stated Putin underestimated your fierceness.

“Russia is going back in time. Ukraine is moving forward,” Blinken said.

He added that the Russian leader has “always underestimated” what Ukrainians have understood: “the fierceness with which free people will defend their right to continue living freely.”

The US secretary of state said, “The spirit of Ukrainians cannot be destroyed by a bomb or buried in a mass grave, it cannot be bought with a bribe or repressed with a threat.

“It is pure, it is unbreakable and it is why Ukraine will succeed.”

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