Secretary Antony J. Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha Before Their Meeting

SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, hello, everyone. It's very, very good to see my friend and colleague, the foreign minister of Ukraine. Andrii, it's very good to have you here today. To all of our colleagues, we had a very good morning at NATO - a meeting with the secretary general, a meeting with the North Atlantic Council and the permanent representatives, a meeting with General Cavoli (inaudible). Everyone is focused on making sure that Ukraine has what it needs to continue to deal with the ongoing Russian aggression and to put itself in the strongest possible position this year and into next year, making sure that the money, the munitions, the mobilized forces are there to deal with the aggression and to put Ukraine in a position of strength.

I heard around the NATO table, again, a determined commitment for the countries in the Alliance to continue and indeed strengthen its support for Ukraine. So I'm looking forward to discussing all of this with the foreign minister. Of course, we have the recent development of the deployment of North Korean forces to aid and abet Russia's aggression. This is a very significant and very negative development, one that increases the threat to security and stability in Europe but also in the Asian Pacific region. The fact is that the relationship between Russia and North Korea is a two-way street. North Korea is helping Russia in its aggression against Ukraine. At the same time, the support that Russia is providing to North Korea, potentially including support for its nuclear and missile programs, poses a threat to stability and security in the Korean Peninsula as well.

So we're very focused on this. I think we see increasingly the indivisibility of security between the Euro-Atlantic theater, the Indo-Pacific and Asian Pacific theaters, even the Middle East with the role that Iran plays. And I can tell you again that the Alliance is very, very focused on this.

But today, our strong focus is on the steps that we will continue to take to support Ukraine. I mentioned earlier the United States is continuing to make sure that the resources that we've dedicated to Ukraine are flowing - $8 billion in September, including a significant drawdown from our military stock; another almost half a billion just a few weeks ago - and we're determined to make sure that every dollar we have available is moved to Ukraine in the months ahead.

Andrii, again, it's great to be with you. Look forward to the conversation.

FOREIGN MINISTER SYBIHA: Tony, it's a great pleasure and honor to meet today in Brussels. Today is the 994th day of Russia's brutal aggression, and this night there was another missile attack on our capital, Kyiv, and other cities and communities, one more sleepless night for our children, 96 drones and missiles including ballistic bombs.

Russians once again targeted innocent people, children, entire families while they slept peacefully in their homes. Russians commit war crimes and attack civilian people and infrastructure every night and day. We must stop their aggression with the strength of weapons, sanctions, and diplomacy.

This moment is critical. This war is not only about Ukraine. The future of transatlantic and global security is being decided in Ukraine, and Russia is using Iranian drones, as you said, and North Korean troops to attack Ukraine. It provides assistance to those regimes in return. This is how this war undermines security in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. This is all linked together. If you want to ensure a long-term peace and stability in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, we must force Russia to end its aggression. For this we need more unity and strong decisions. Appeasement will not work. Strength will work.

Dear Secretary Blinken, throughout this 994 days you have been there for us every step of the way, and we do really appreciate and we deeply appreciate all of your personal effort, your personal leadership to support Ukraine and defend liberty, life, and justice. Thank you for mobilizing the world in our support.

Today is an opportunity to coordinate (inaudible) presidential election in the United States. Ukraine can always (inaudible) from Republican support. We maintain contact with both parties and work both with the President-elect and his team and also with the outgoing administration.

Ukraine's defense cannot be put on hold and wait. Every day Russia is bombing our critical infrastructure - energy, ports, hospitals, and schools. We need better protection for our people already now, not later. We need to speed up all critical decisions, and we will have today our conversation focusing on these issues.

Today we will discuss Ukraine's defense capabilities, strengthening our air shield ahead of winter, Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations, and efforts to achieve a comprehensive, just, and long-lasting peace for Ukraine. We highly appreciate the U.S. assistance. America's leadership is critical to restore once again a comprehensive, just, and long-lasting peace for Ukraine, and I am confident that we can count on continued U.S. support and further decisive steps. Thank you for your attention.