Status: 01/19/2022 04:34 a.m
US Secretary of State Blinken will also meet Ukrainian President Selenskyj during his trip to Europe because of the impending escalation in the Ukraine conflict. The White House sees responsibility for the situation with Russia.
In view of the threat of an escalation in the Ukraine crisis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev tomorrow. Blinken will also hold talks with the country’s Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, in the Ukrainian capital. According to his ministry, the US chief diplomat wants to “reaffirm US support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” at the meetings.
Ulrich Ueckerseifer, ARD Washington, on the perception of the Ukraine conflict in the USA
night magazine 12:23 a.m., 19.1.2022
Blinken meets Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov
Blinken will travel from Kiev to Berlin on Thursday, where he will meet Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and the foreign ministers of France and Great Britain. On Friday he will then meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. At the talks planned in Geneva, Blinken will urge the Russian government to take immediate steps to ease the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border, a senior US official said.
Speaking to journalists, he went on to say that Russia has so far pursued the opposite of de-escalation, despite all diplomatic efforts to ease tensions. Russia could strike Ukraine anywhere, anytime, possibly between January and February.
“Diplomacy is not dead”
The meeting with Lavrov is an opportunity for the US to see where there is a chance for Moscow and Washington to find common ground, the US State Department said. “Diplomacy is not dead,” said a spokeswoman. It continues to work very closely with its allies to ensure that there will be “massive consequences” should Russia decide to pursue further military aggression against Ukraine.
The US government also warned of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki again blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for the escalation. “President Putin caused this crisis by massing 100,000 Russian soldiers along Ukraine’s borders,” Psaki said. “To be clear, we consider the situation to be extremely dangerous. We are now at a stage where Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine at any time.”