Blinken calls for a diplomatic solution as U.S. prepares to back Ukrainian insurgency
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv Wednesday and warned that Russia could invade "on very short notice," Reuters reports.
In the meantime, Blinken said, the U.S. will continue encouraging Russia to remain on "the path of diplomacy and dialogue" rather than the "path of … confrontation and consequences."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"We do not want and will not take any action of aggressive character. We will not attack, strike, invade … Ukraine. It has been said dozens of times in recent weeks, and I just reconfirmed this," Ryabkov said.
His reassurances come only days after the U.S. reportedly received intelligence that Russia was planning a "false flag" operation to justify an invasion.
According to NPR, the Biden administration said Wednesday it would provide $200 million in military aid to Ukraine if Russia invades.
More extreme measures are on the table as well.
The New York Times reported Friday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had made a phone call to his Russian counterpart in which he threatened U.S. support for an anti-Russian insurgency within Ukraine.
"[I]f it turned into a Ukrainian insurgency, Putin should realize that after fighting insurgencies ourselves for two decades, we know how to arm, train and energize them," retired four-star U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis told the Times.
Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are set to meet Friday in Geneva to discuss whether "there is a possible diplomatic off-ramp to this crisis," a State Department official said.
Previous talks between the U.S. and Russia have failed to reach a solution as each side refused to give in to the other's demands.
-
5 cinematic cartoons about Bezos betting big on 'Melania'Cartoons Artists take on a girlboss, a fetching newspaper, and more
-
The fall of the generals: China’s military purgeIn the Spotlight Xi Jinping’s extraordinary removal of senior general proves that no-one is safe from anti-corruption drive that has investigated millions
-
Why the Gorton and Denton by-election is a ‘Frankenstein’s monster’Talking Point Reform and the Greens have the Labour seat in their sights, but the constituency’s complex demographics make messaging tricky
-
What is ‘Arctic Sentry’ and will it deter Russia and China?Today’s Big Question Nato considers joint operation and intelligence sharing in Arctic region, in face of Trump’s threats to seize Greenland for ‘protection’
-
What would a UK deployment to Ukraine look like?Today's Big Question Security agreement commits British and French forces in event of ceasefire
-
Would Europe defend Greenland from US aggression?Today’s Big Question ‘Mildness’ of EU pushback against Trump provocation ‘illustrates the bind Europe finds itself in’
-
Did Trump just end the US-Europe alliance?Today's Big Question New US national security policy drops ‘grenade’ on Europe and should serve as ‘the mother of all wake-up calls’
-
Is conscription the answer to Europe’s security woes?Today's Big Question How best to boost troop numbers to deal with Russian threat is ‘prompting fierce and soul-searching debates’
-
Trump peace deal: an offer Zelenskyy can’t refuse?Today’s Big Question ‘Unpalatable’ US plan may strengthen embattled Ukrainian president at home
-
Vladimir Putin’s ‘nuclear tsunami’ missileThe Explainer Russian president has boasted that there is no way to intercept the new weapon
-
The Baltic ‘bog belt’ plan to protect Europe from RussiaUnder the Radar Reviving lost wetland on Nato’s eastern flank would fuse ‘two European priorities that increasingly compete for attention and funding: defence and climate’
