Blinken Says Ukraine Able To Use US Weapons To Take Russian-Controlled Territories

Ukraine is able to use US-provided weapons to launch attacks on territories controlled by Russian forces, where referenda are being held on accession to the Russian Federation, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th September, 2022) Ukraine is able to use US-provided weapons to launch attacks on territories controlled by Russian forces, where referenda are being held on accession to the Russian Federation, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.

"Ukraine has the absolute right to defend itself throughout its territory, including to take back the territory that has been illegally seized one way or another by Russia. The equipment, the weapons that we and many other countries are providing them have been used very effectively to do just that, as we've seen in northeast Ukraine and as we see as well in the south," Blinken said during a press conference.

The Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, as well as the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, began polling on Friday in referenda to join Russia, which will last through Tuesday. The Biden administration has warned of additional economic consequences for Russia should the referenda proceed.

Russia's special military operation was launched on February 24 at the request of officials in Donetsk and Luhansk, who purported years of mistreatment by authorities in Kiev.