U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says if he were able to address the Russian people about the war in Ukraine, he would ask them how the war is answering any of their needs.
Blinken, who was interviewed on April 6 for the Russian-language Telegram account of the U.S. State Department, acknowledged that he cannot speak to the Russian people because of restrictions imposed on the media by the Russian government.
"I wish I could effectively deliver a message to the Russian public. The fact of the matter is, I can't speak on Russian television," he said. "Most social media is blocked or I would be blocked from speaking to it."
But he said if it were possible, he would ask Russians how aggression in Ukraine "is doing anything to make a difference in your lives" and how it helps them send their kids to school, provide food for their families, and save some money to build a better future, which he said are the same needs of Americans, Europeans, Ukrainians, and people all over the world.
Answering a question posted by Current Time, Blinken said Russians were being fed "a steady diet of propaganda that doesn't reflect the facts," and that's why they are unable to make their own judgments about the situation.
Blinken said he would remind Russians that U.S. President Joe Biden last year told President Vladimir Putin repeatedly that the preference of the United States was to have a more stable, predictable relationship with Russia.
The two countries have many "big things" that they should be working on, he said, citing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change as examples.
"These are things that affect Americans and Russians and people all over the world. That's what we should be spending our time on," he said. "But tragically, because without reason, Vladimir Putin decided to attack Ukraine, the world is now focused on this."
The tragedy is not about the Russian people, rather the choice that Putin made -- "a choice that does nothing to advance the lives of Russians," he said.
Separately, Blinken said in a news release that Washington was united with its allies and partners to ensure that Russia pays a severe price for causing death and destruction in Ukraine, citing in particular "the horrors in Bucha."
Blinken cited economic sanctions that were announced earlier against Sberbank, Russia’s largest financial institution, and Alfa Bank, one of the largest private banks in Russia, which he said "continue to sustain President Putin's aggression against Ukraine."
SEE ALSO: West Adds Heft To Sanctions Against Russia In Wake Of Civilian Deaths Outside KyivThe sanctions also target several individuals, including Putin's two adult daughters and all 21 members of Russia's National Security Council, including former President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, "for their role and authority in crafting the Kremlin's brutal policies and resulting abuses."
The new sanctions follow the approval on April 5 of $100 million in new security assistance to help Ukraine "meet a continued need for additional anti-armor systems," Blinken said.
The new military assistance is the sixth of arms, equipment, and supplies from Department of Defense inventories for Ukraine since August 2021. It brings U.S. military assistance to almost $2.5 billion since September, and $4.5 billion since 2014, Blinken said.