Blinken hails Ukraine's 'extraordinary resilience' / Photo: © POOL/AFP
-
Rene Eyre Revisits Autobiographical Performance 'Say A Little Prayer' in London
-
London Museum Granted 24/7 License Ahead of November Opening
-
UAE's HCT Holds Record Graduation and Announces Major Training Expansion
-
Dana White Confirms Flight to Washington for Trump Meeting on Press Secretary Role
-
NASA Awards $10B Lunar Contract Framework to SpaceX, Blue Origin
-
Dengue Fever Expands Into High Himalayas as Climate Change Warms Nepal
-
Katy Perry Tells Fans Ex-Husband Russell Brand 'Should Be in Jail' During UK Concert
-
IoT Refrigerator Hacks Disrupt Blood Labs and Supermarkets Across Europe and US
-
South African election results renew debate over identity-based voting
-
Post-election pressures complicate US and Israeli decisions on Iran
-
South African voters report smoother local election but declining IEC trust
-
UN members approve talks on treaty protocol against environmental crime
-
Dolly Parton museum and Nashville hotel open after singer’s death
-
Family-run West Sussex beach café prepares for first winter season
-
George and Amal Clooney attend New York political-comedy reading
Blinken hails Ukraine's 'extraordinary resilience'
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised what he called Ukraine's "extraordinary resilience" against Russian aggression during a visit to Chernigiv region Thursday, before the top diplomat concluded his surprise two-day trip.
During the visit Blinken went to see a school basement in Yagidne, where Russian troops kept dozens of villagers including elderly people and children captive.
"This is just one building... (but) this is a story we've seen again and again," Blinken said.
"But we are also seeing something else that's incredibly powerful... the extraordinary resilience of the Ukrainian people."
Russian forces seized parts of Chernigiv region, including Yagidne, soon after the war started.
They withdrew after about a month, and Yagidne was recaptured by Ukrainian forces on March 30, 2022, but the Russian army left towns destroyed and land heavily mined.
Blinken said up to a third of Ukraine's territory was now dealing with mines or unexploded ordnance.
"But Ukrainians are coming together to get rid of the ordnance, to get rid of the mines, and to literally recover the land," Blinken said.
Blinken later visited a hydroelectric dam alongside Prime Minister Denys Shmygal, before leaving Kyiv in the early evening.
C.Bruderer--VB