US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken believes that Ukraine's not joining NATO should not be taken as a concession to Russia, The Times Hub reported.

“I don't think it's a concession,” Blinken told CNN.

“In my opinion, this is only a reflection of the real state of affairs, which is that even before the Russian aggression, Ukraine was not going to join NATO the next day,” the Secretary of State explained.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was necessary to recognize the fact that his country will not be able to become a NATO member in the foreseeable future.

Blinken also criticized China's position regarding the conflict in Ukraine.

“The fact that China has not condemned Russia's actions says a lot in itself—not only to Russia, Ukraine or Europe, but to the whole world,” Blinken said.

“Secondly,” he continued, “we are concerned about the possibility of China providing material assistance to Russia, or undermining the sanctions we have imposed. We have stated this directly to China—including in the past 24 hours when National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with his Chinese counterpart.”