U.S. will consider Ukraine's request for weapons - Blinken

"We, of course, will look at any and every request. And the main thing is that our Pentagon, our Defense Department, is the main partner for Ukraine. And it is, as we speak, looking at what additional assistance, beyond the very significant assistance that we've already provided, including equipment, would be helpful to Ukraine right now. That's a very active consideration," Blinken said.

When asked what the United States can do if Russia decides to openly invade Ukraine, he said: "The most important thing to do is what we're doing, which is to make sure that that doesn't happen, that Russia does not make a very unfortunate decision to engage in any further aggression or reckless actions when it comes to Ukraine, which is exactly why we have spoken up very clearly when we saw this concentration of forces, why we've worked closely with all of our leading partners around the world, including at NATO and the European Union, so that everyone was very focused on this [issue of Ukraine's security] and was making it very clear to Moscow that we were looking and watching very carefully, and that if any action was taken, it would not be without consequences. And at the same time, we're working very closely with our partners here in Ukraine, as I said, to make sure that they have the means necessary to defend Ukraine, defend its territory, defend its people."

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Kyiv would ask Washington to provide air defense systems and anti-sniper technology. Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak noted that the United States could have deployed its Patriot air defense systems in Ukraine.

During his official visit to Ukraine, Blinken met with senior Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, MPs, and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. He also met with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, other officials and Ukrainian civil society representatives.

State Department photo by Ron Przysucha