Helsinki, 2 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) – President Putin's decision to invade Ukraine has been "a case study in failure" with respect to Russia's equipment, technology, leadership, troops, strategy, tactics and morale, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, speaking in Helsinki.

"When you look at President Putin's long-term strategic games and objectives, there is no question that Russia is significantly worse off today than it was before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine - militarily, economically, geopolitically," Blinken said.

Where Putin had aimed to show strength, he had revealed weakness, and where he had thought to divide, he had united, Blinken said. He paid tribute to the courage and solidarity of the Ukrainian people and the action that the US and its partners had taken to support Ukraine.

"Ukraine must not only survive, it must thrive," he added.

The Russian president had damaged his country's economy, which was now a fraction of what it could have become had he invested in technology and innovation rather than weapons and war, Blinken said.