Blinken to visit Ukraine as tensions between US and Russia rise Government and politics
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“Blinken’s travels and consultations are part of diplomatic efforts to escalate tensions caused by Russia’s military build-up and continued aggression against Ukraine,” the State Department said in a statement.
From Kiev, Blinken will travel to Berlin, where he will meet with his German, British and French counterparts to discuss a possible response to any Russian military action. Russia has gathered about 100,000 soldiers with tanks and other heavy weapons on its own ground near the border with Ukraine, in what many observers believe may be a preparation for an invasion.
Blinken will meet with Zelenskyy and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Wednesday “to strengthen the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the State Department said.
“The trip follows a broad diplomacy with our European allies and partners on a united approach to addressing Russia’s threat to Ukraine and our joint efforts to encourage it to choose diplomacy and scaling up security. and stability, “the department said. .
Russia’s top diplomat on Monday rejected US accusations that he was preparing a pretext to invade Ukraine. Speaking to reporters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the US statement as “total misinformation”.
