Blinken: We will not allow Putin to use winter as weapon against Ukraine

He said this in his remarks before a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on Tuesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"We're determined to keep moving forward on the work we've been doing together over the last four years, work that has strengthened this Alliance in extraordinary ways – with new members, new resources and assets, and, I think, a new determination, both to continue to stand with Ukraine faced with the Russian aggression but also to deal with a myriad of other threats and challenges," Blinken said.

He stressed that the United States shares the concern that Rutte expressed for Ukraine in this ongoing aggression.

"That only reinforces our determination to make sure that Ukraine has what it needs to deal with what it's facing on the battlefield, also to deal with the ongoing onslaught on its energy infrastructure," Blinken said.

He stressed that Putin is once again weaponizing winter, trying to freeze people out of their homes, turn out the lights.

"We're not going to let that happen. We're determined on that front as well," Blinken said.

He stressed that this and other issues would be discussed at a meeting of the NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, which will be held in these days.

In this context, Blinken called the meeting a "vital moment" for the Alliance to be level set for the year ahead.