Blinken signs treaty against Russia misinformation during European tour

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky on Thursday in signing a pledge to combat disinformation campaigns, including those originating in Russia. Misinformation is a poison being injected into democracies across the world, Blinken said. Russia’s cyber warfare and propaganda is a danger democracies cannot underestimate any more, Lipavsky added. The signing came a day after Blinken made comments suggesting the United States may allow Ukraine to use American supplied weapons in attacks on Russian soil.

How did Blinken hint at America’s stance on Ukrainian strikes change? The United States hasn’t encouraged strikes outside Ukraine, but Kyiv has to make its own decisions on the best way to defend itself, Blinken said during a Wednesday press conference. America will also continue adapting and adjusting its support for Ukraine as Russian aggression and tactics have changed, he added.

Russia has ramped up aerial attacks in recent days and specifically targeted the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine. Russia launched an attack early Thursday morning with 19 missiles and 32 drones, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Officials confirmed that all drones were shot down, but said only seven of the missiles were stopped.

Dig deeper: Read my report on the European Union agreeing to give Ukraine billions of dollars of accrued interest from frozen Russian assets.