US seeks 'just and lasting peace' for Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday the United States was working with Ukraine and other allies to build consensus around the core elements of a "just and lasting peace" to end the war with Russia.  Washington would also encourage initiatives by other countries to bring about an end to the conflict, as long as they uphold the United Nations Charter and Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.  "We will support efforts – whether by Brazil, China, or any other nation – if they help find a way to a just and lasting peace," Blinken said in a speech. Blinken also called Russia’s war on Ukraine a "strategic failure”, pointing to Western unity and Moscow's losses.  Russian President Vladimir "Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine has been a strategic failure – greatly diminishing Russia's military, economic, and diplomatic power and its influence for years to come," Blinken said in the speech in Helsinki. (Reuters/AFP)