Blinken to visit Ukraine as US-Russia tensions escalate

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WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Antony Blinken volition sojourn Ukraine this week and conscionable with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arsenic tensions betwixt the U.S. and Russia escalate implicit a imaginable Russian penetration of its neighbor, the State Department said Tuesday.

Blinken volition beryllium successful Kyiv connected the hastily arranged travel to amusement U.S. enactment pursuing inconclusive diplomatic talks betwixt Moscow and the West successful Europe past week that failed to resoluteness stark disagreements over Ukraine and different information matters.

Instead, those meetings look to person accrued fears of a Russian invasion, and the Biden medication has accused Russia of preparing a “false emblem operation" to usage arsenic a pretext for intervention. Russia has angrily denied the charge.

From Kyiv, Blinken volition question to Berlin, wherever helium volition conscionable with his German, British and French counterparts to sermon a imaginable effect to immoderate Russian subject action. Russia has massed immoderate 100,000 troops with tanks and different dense weapons connected its ain ungraded adjacent the Ukrainian borderline successful what galore observers judge whitethorn beryllium mentation for an invasion.

Blinken’s “travel and consultations are portion of the diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the hostility caused by Russia’s subject build-up and continued aggression against Ukraine,” the State Department said successful a statement.

Blinken volition conscionable with Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba connected Wednesday “to reenforce the United States’ committedness to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the State Department said.

“The travel follows extended diplomacy with our European Allies and partners astir a agreed attack to code the menace Russia poses to Ukraine and our associated efforts to promote it to take diplomacy and de-escalation successful the interests of information and stability,” it said.

Blinken spoke by telephone Tuesday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, discussing the diplomatic talks and meetings held past week. The State Department said Blinken “stressed the value of continuing a diplomatic way to de-escalate tensions” surrounding the Russia-Ukraine concern and “reiterated the unshakable U.S. commitment” to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

On Monday, Lavrov, Russia’s apical diplomat, rejected the U.S. allegations that his state was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine. Speaking to reporters, helium dismissed the U.S. assertion arsenic “total disinformation.”

Lavrov reaffirmed that Russia expects a written effect this week from the U.S. and its allies to Moscow’s petition for binding guarantees that NATO volition not clasp Ukraine oregon immoderate different ex-Soviet nations oregon presumption its forces and weapons there.

Blinken underscored to Lavrov connected Tuesday that immoderate treatment of European information “must see NATO Allies and European partners, including Ukraine,” the State Department said.

Washington and its allies firmly rejected Moscow’s demands during past week's Russia-U.S. negotiations successful Geneva and a related NATO-Russia meeting successful Brussels.

The White House said Friday that U.S. quality officials had concluded that Russia had already deployed operatives to rebel-controlled eastbound Ukraine to transportation retired acts of sabotage determination and blasted them connected Ukraine to make a pretext for imaginable invasion.

Ahead of Blinken's sojourn to Kyiv, a delegation of U.S. senators was visiting Ukraine to stress legislature enactment for the country.

“Our bipartisan legislature delegation sends a wide connection to the planetary community: the United States stands successful unwavering enactment of our Ukrainian partners to support their sovereignty and successful the look of persistent Russian aggression,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, said successful a statement.

Speaking Monday connected a sojourn to Kyiv, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that “any further escalation would transportation a precocious terms for the Russian authorities — economic, governmental and strategic," and she emphasized the request to proceed negotiations.

“We are prepared to person a superior dialog with Russia, due to the fact that diplomacy is the lone mode to defuse this highly unsafe concern astatine the moment,” she said.

Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula aft the ouster of Ukraine’s Moscow-friendly person and successful 2014 besides threw its value down a separatist insurgency successful eastbound Ukraine. More than 14,000 radical person been killed successful astir 8 years of warring betwixt the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces successful the country’s concern heartland called Donbas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow volition instrumentality unspecified “military-technical measures” if the West stonewalls its demands.

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