Russia-Ukraine updates: Putin says war was ‘unleashed’ on Russia

Speaking to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on "Good Morning America," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed where things stand in the Russia-Ukraine war on Friday, one year after it began.

"Ukraine is still standing, it remains free, it remains independent," Blinken said. "Putin's first objective was to erase Ukraine from the map, to erase its identity, to absorb it into Russia. That has failed and will never succeed."

"Now, there's a fierce battle going on for the territory that Russia has seized," he added. "Ukraine's gotten about 50% of what Russia's taken since last February and now, there's a fight for the rest."

When asked how long Ukraine can hold on, with its economy devastated and Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly preparing for a long war, Blinken said he thinks "the Ukrainians are the ones who are going to fight to the finish."

"There's one big difference: The Ukrainians are fighting for their country, for their land, for their future; the Russians are not," he noted. "And at the end of the day, assuming the support continues from so many countries around the world -- material support, military, economic, humanitarian -- Ukraine will succeed."

Blinken said it's "hard to predict" when the war will end.

"No one wants peace more than the Ukrainians, but it has to be a just and durable peace," he added. "Just in terms of reflecting the basic principles that are at the heart of the U.N. Charter, which is territorial integrity of countries, their sovereignty. And durable in the sense that wherever it lands, we don't want it to land in place where Russia can simply repeat the exercise a year or two or five years later."

4:14

Sec. Blinken talks 1-year anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Secretary of State joins "GMA" on the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine ahead of his attendance at the U.N. Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Friday.

ABCNews.com

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Friday that China is "actively thinking about" providing lethal assistance to Russian forces in war-torn Ukraine.

"We're very concerned that they're thinking about it. Up until now, Chinese companies have provided non-lethal support," Blinken told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos during an interview on "Good Morning America."

"From Day One, President Biden warned President Xi not to provide material lethal assistance to Russia for use against Ukraine or to engage in the systematic evasion of sanctions. And the information we have suggests that they’re now actively thinking about it, which is why we've been public about warning them not to," he added. "It could make a material difference in Russia's capacity on the ground at a time when we want to bring this war to an end, not add fuel to the fire and have it continue."

The U.S. government has "shared a lot of information with other countries, with allies and partners," regarding the fact that China is now considering lethal assistance, according to Blinken.

"We always have to get the balance right between making sure that we're protecting the way we get our information and releasing it," he said. "But we thought it was really important to make clear that China's looking at this. And what they're hearing not just from us but from many other countries around the world is: Don't do it."

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a position paper on Friday, calling for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, the resumption of peace talks, an end to unilateral sanctions and the consideration of sovereignty, territorial integrity and security concerns of all countries. Blinken told ABC News that the U.S. government is "taking a look at it."

"No one wants peace more than the Ukrainians and any proposal that can advance peace is something that's worth looking at," he said. "But, you know, there are 12 points in the Chinese plan. If they were serious about the first one, sovereignty, then this war could end tomorrow."

"China's been trying to have it both ways," he added. "It's on the one hand trying to present itself publicly as neutral and seeking peace, while at the same time it is talking up Russia's false narrative about the war, it is, as I said, providing non-lethal assistance to its companies and now contemplating lethal assistance."

4:14

Sec. Blinken talks 1-year anniversary of Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Secretary of State joins "GMA" on the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine ahead of his attendance at the U.N. Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Friday.

ABCNews.com

In the basement of the Syayvo bookstore in Ukraine's capital, hundreds of Russian language books stand piled, waiting to be pulped.

The books -- ranging from everything between the classics of Russian literature to works translated into Russian and Soviet-era textbooks -- have been donated by Ukrainians who have turned away from Russian culture to embrace their own since the invasion last year.

They are set to be recycled and turned into Ukrainian language texts or other products, with all profits going to support the war effort, Nadia Kibenko, the 32-year-old store worker who is handling the books, told ABC News. They have recycled 75 tons -- around 150,000 volumes -- since last July, she said. As a child, Kibenko grew up in a Ukrainian speaking household but, more often than not, only had the choice to read in Russian.

"We do not burn books," Kibenko told ABC News during a recent interview in Kyiv. "We just give them second life."

The cultural battleground is not just symbolic. Witnesses from the Russian occupied territories say that, in schools, Ukrainian language books were thrown out and replaced by Russian ones as new curricula taught Putin's view that Ukrainians and Russians are "one people."

A report published in December by PEN America, a New York-based literary and human rights organization, said that "culture was on the frontlines" and Putin "seeks not only to control Ukrainian territory, but to erase Ukrainian culture and identity."

-ABC News' Guy Davies

The United States announced an additional $2 billion military aid package for Ukraine on Friday, as the Eastern European country marks the one-year anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.

The new aid package includes more missiles for Ukraine's U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), additional 155mm artillery ammunition, more Switchblade one-way drones and other military equipment, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

"One year into a war of aggression waged by a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, our allies and partners worldwide stand united and resolute," U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement. "Putin's reckless, illegal war is not just an all-out assault on Ukraine's sovereignty and a historic threat to European security. It is also a direct attack on the system of rules, institutions, and laws that the world built at such great cost after World War II -- a system that rejects aggression and respects the rights of all countries, big and small."

The additional aid is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) plan, meaning this equipment and artillery have to be made from scratch before being delivered, which will take time. This is different from the other aid packages that come from existing U.S. military stockpiles and get delivered faster.

With the new aid package, the Biden administration has now provided $31.8 billion in assistance to Ukraine since Russia's war began on Feb. 24, 2022.

"Putin thought that Ukraine’s defenses would collapse, that America's resolve would falter, and that the world would look the other way. He was wrong," Lloyd said. "One year later, Ukraine's brave defenders have not wavered, and neither has our commitment to support them for as long as it takes. Despite the Kremlin's campaign of cruelty, the people of Ukraine have shown stunning bravery, skill, and fortitude. Today and every day, we stand by the courageous Ukrainians fighting to defend their country, and we mourn with those who have lost their loved ones in Moscow's monstrous and unnecessary war."

"Difficult times may lie ahead, but let us remain clear-eyed about what is at stake in Ukraine," he added. "And let us remain united in purpose and in action -- and steadfast in our commitment to ensure that a world of rules and rights is not replaced by one of tyranny and turmoil."

-ABC News' Luis Martinez