Blinken: Russia may win the battle in Ukraine, but it will not win the war

 US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, "Russia may win the battle in Ukraine, but it will not win the war." "We will impose sanctions on Russia's military exports, and the sanctions will have major repercussions on Russia," he added.

"We are discussing with NATO the deployment of more forces in Eastern Europe... We are providing defensive equipment to Eastern European countries to counter any Russian attack," he said.

During a speech at the US Embassy in Lithuania, he said that NATO has strengthened its military presence in Eastern Europe, stressing that these changes will make a difference after the war in Ukraine.

Blinken added, that what he described as hostile operations in Russia endanger the principles of freedom and democracy, stressing that Washington will not accept change

Blinken is on a whimsical visit to the three Baltic states that are increasingly concerned as they watch Russia's war on Ukraine.

The former Soviet republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are all members of NATO, and Blinken aims to reassure them of the alliance's protection if Russia chooses to expand its military operations to other neighboring countries.

Blinken's Baltic tour kicked off Monday in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where support for Ukraine's resistance is showing, with signs of solidarity with Ukrainians in many businesses, public buildings and buses.