Alexis Guilleux, with AFP
The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken arrived in Kiev on Wednesday, the first leg of a European tour devoted to the Russian-Western crisis around Ukraine, threatened with a military offensive from the Kremlin amid diplomatic efforts that are out of breath.
Antony Blinken arrived in Kiev on Wednesday, the first stage of a European tour devoted to the Russian-Western crisis around Ukraine, threatened with a military offensive from the Kremlin against a backdrop of diplomatic efforts which are running out of steam. The head of American diplomacy has already called on Putin to choose the “peaceful way” to get out of the crisis.
An “extremely dangerous” situation
This trip by Antony Blinken is a last-minute trip in the face of the reinforcement of the Russian military deployment just now in Kiev. The leader will renew US support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Then, he will meet his Russian counterpart on Friday in Geneva, to try to find a diplomatic way out. The two men already spoke on the phone yesterday. Sergey Lavrov expects concrete answers to Moscow’s demands, notably on the non-enlargement of NATO. A subject that the United States does not want to hear about. This deadlock in the negotiations worries Washington, which spoke through the voice of the spokesperson for the White House.
“This is an extremely dangerous situation. Russia can launch an attack on Ukraine at any time. The choice is up to Vladimir Putin and the consequences will be massive if he does not opt for the diplomatic route,” she warned.
The US Secretary of State has already called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to choose the “peaceful path” to get out of the crisis around Ukraine, while noting that Moscow could “very quickly” reinforce its troops which are already threatening its neighbour. “I strongly hope that we can stay on a diplomatic and peaceful path, but in the end it will be President Putin’s decision,” said Anthony Blinken from Kiev, warning of the existence “of plans in place to increase even more” the Russian forces deployed by the tens of thousands on the Ukrainian border.
Privilege the diplomatic way
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