US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday landed in Kiev for talks with Ukraine’s leaders as diplomatic efforts to dissuade Russia from attacking the nation falter.
After talks last week failed to ease fears, the White House on Tuesday warned that Russia was ready to attack Ukraine at “any point.”
It was a marked intensification of its threat assessment ahead of a meeting between Blinken and Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov expected in Geneva, Switzerland, tomorrow.
Photo: Reuters
Hoping to show robust support ahead of the talks, the top US diplomat was making a one-day visit to Kiev in a show of support for Ukraine.
He was greeted by Ukrainian officials on an icy, moonlit tarmac and was to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Blinken today is to travel to Berlin for four-way talks with Britain, France and Germany to seek Western unity.
“We’re now at a stage where Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Tuesday.
“No option is off the table,” Psaki said, warning of an “extremely dangerous situation.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin “has created this crisis,” she said.
Moscow has denied numerous times that an invasion is planned.
In a call between the US and top Russian diplomats ahead of Blinken’s trip, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Lavrov had called on Blinken “not to replicate speculation about the allegedly impending ‘Russian aggression.’”
US Department of State spokesman Ned Price said that Blinken “stressed the importance of continuing a diplomatic path to de-escalate tensions.”
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that Blinken’s goal was to see “if there is a diplomatic off-ramp” and “common ground” where Russia can be persuaded to pull back from Ukraine after Moscow has massed troops on Ukraine’s borders.
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