The head of American diplomacy, Anthony Blinkencalled on Wednesday Russia to choose the “peaceful path” in the crisis with Ukraine, during a visit to Kiev to show his support ahead of a crucial meeting with his Russian counterpart this week.
(Read here: Blinken to visit Ukraine amid fears of a Russian invasion)
Blinken visits Ukraine and then will meet with his European allies in Berlin and on Friday he is scheduled to meet with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Geneva. The senior American official launched a call to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin to allay fears of invasion and adopt the path of diplomacy.
(Also read: Russia can launch attack on Ukraine ‘at any time’: US)
“I strongly hope that we can stay on a peaceful and diplomatic track, but ultimately this is President Putin’s decision,” Blinken said at the US embassy in Kiev.
The Secretary of State warned that if Putin does not follow the path of diplomacy, he would be adopting a path “of confrontation with consequences for Russia.”
Tensions between Moscow and the West are at a level not seen since the Cold War after Russia deployed tens of thousands of troops to the border with Ukraine, fueling fears of a broader conflict in eastern Europe.
Russia says that it has no plans to launch an invasion, but asks for guarantees that Ukraine will not be admitted to NATO, in exchange for lowering tensions. Before the meeting in Geneva, Blinken will travel to Berlin for a meeting with the United Kingdom, France and Germany with the aim of showing a united position of the Western powers.
(You may be interested in: Russia reduces its embassy in Ukraine in what seems like a new step by Putin)
More military aid to Ukraine from the United States
In the streets of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, residents expressed their hopes to AFP that open conflict would be avoided.
“The talks are good, at least it’s not war,” said Alexei Bokarev, a 77-year-old retired miner. “The arms are silent and the negotiations are underway, this implies that some kind of solution is being sought, how is all this going to end? Nobody knows that,” he said.
Before meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, the head of US diplomacy warned that Putin could be preparing to send more troops to Ukraine.
“We know that plans are underway to increase that contingent in a very short time and that gives President Putin the ability, in the short term, to launch more aggressive actions against Ukraine,” Blinken said.
A senior official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that Washington will provide an additional $200 million in military aid to Ukraine, on top of the $450 million already donated by the Joe Biden administration.
“We are committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and we will continue to give Ukraine the support it needs,” the official said.
Zelensky welcomed the increased aid “in difficult times.”
An ‘extremely dangerous situation’ in Ukraine
After the collapse of last week’s round of negotiations, the White House warned on Tuesday that Russia was prepared to attack Ukraine “at any moment”.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki warned that Ukraine is in an “extremely dangerous situation” and said “no option is off the table.”
On Tuesday Lavrov said there will be no further negotiations with the West until there is a written answer to his security demands. In addition to vetoing Ukraine’s entry into NATO, Russia wants to limit military activities in the countries of the former Warsaw Pact and the former Soviet republics that joined the Atlantic alliance after the end of the Cold War.
Washington flatly rejected the Russian demands and warned Moscow that if it invades Ukraine it faces heavy sanctions.
Tensions rose on Tuesday after Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine and is an ally of Moscow, announced the arrival of Russian troops for a military exercise.
An American official pointed out that this type of exercise could be the prelude to a permanent presence of Russia with conventional weapons and also with nuclear weapons deployed in Belarus. The conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists has caused more than 13,000 deaths.
AFP
More news
– Macron asks to include abortion in the Charter of fundamental rights of the EU
– Why did the US delay the deployment of 5G near airports?
.
#Blinken #urges #Putin #choose #peaceful #path #Ukraine #crisis