In a speech to students during his visit to Kyiv today, the US Secretary of State argued that Moscow's compensation for the destruction caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, since February 24, 2022, is "what international law requires and it's what the Ukrainian people deserve".

Blinken assured that Washington intends to use for this purpose the Russian assets seized by the United States after the beginning of the invasion, while recalling that his country has been on Ukraine's side "since day one" of the conflict.

"And we will be with you until Ukraine's security, sovereignty, and ability to choose its own path are secured," he said, at a time when Kyiv's forces are heavily pressured by Moscow's troops on the combat fronts in the east and northeast of the country and insist on the urgent need for weapons and ammunition.

The US official considered that this is "a critical moment" and predicted that "the coming weeks and months will demand much from Ukrainians, who have already sacrificed so much". And he insisted: "I came to Ukraine with a message: You are not alone".

Antony Blinken noted that sometimes it is heard that time is on the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, given his country's larger population, the Kremlin's determination to "throw more Russians into the meat grinder that he has created" and the investment in more resources in the "attempt to subdue Ukraine".

However, he commented that "in fact, Russia has been losing the battle to control Ukraine's destiny for 20 years" and Putin is making a miscalculation in this war, arguing that time is on Kyiv's side: "As the war goes on, Russia is going backwards in time. Ukraine is moving forward".

In his speech to students at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, the US Secretary of State also referred to Ukraine's controversial new mobilisation law, which lowers the minimum recruitment age to 25 and restricts the stay of military-age men abroad, considering it "difficult but necessary", in light of the war context.

For Blinken, the new legal text will allow "strengthening the defence" of Ukraine and providing its Army with "additional troops to fight against a larger invading force".

Previously, the US Secretary of State argued that the new US military aid to Ukraine, recently approved, will make a "real difference" on the battlefield.

In recent days, Moscow's troops have captured about 100 to 125 square kilometres in the Kharkiv region, in northeastern Ukraine, while making concerted efforts to penetrate the partially occupied Donetsk province, in the east of the country.

Analysts consider this to be one of the most dangerous periods for Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.

"We know this is a challenging moment," said Blinken in Kyiv, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba.

The visit comes less than a month after the US Congress approved a long-delayed foreign aid package that allocates more than 55 billion euros to Kyiv, including the replenishment of artillery and air defence systems that are virtually exhausted.

"Some of that assistance is already arriving, and more is on the way," Blinken said today in the Ukrainian capital.

Zelensky thanked the United States for the aid provided, but added that more is needed, including two Patriot systems to protect Kharkiv urgently.

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