Blinken denied that Putin could have been motivated to start a war by withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan

He stated this on Wednesday during hearings in the Congress, the correspondent of Ukrinform reports.

Asked by Congressman Gregory Meeks if he saw a connection between Putin's invasion of Ukraine and the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, Blinken said: “No. On the contrary, I think that our adversaries, including Russia, would be happy if we stayed in Afghanistan for another 20 years."

The State Secretary recalled that Putin invaded Ukraine for the first time in 2014, when there were still US troops in Afghanistan. And after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine in 2022, according to him, the US administration was able to better coordinate the response, because it was not tied to the war in Afghanistan.

To the comments of other legislators that, they say, the failed withdrawal from Afghanistan showed the weakness of the US and it encouraged Russia to become more aggressive, Blinken emphasized that now America, together with its allies and partners, is stronger than ever.

"Today, NATO is stronger thanks to the leadership of President Biden," the US Secretary of State said, stressing in this connection that the Alliance has expanded and has more resources.