Secretary of State for USA, Antony Blinken, on Tuesday urged his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to begin the “immediate de-escalation” of tensions on the border with Ukraine, while reiterating their “willingness” to continue the “substantive” dialogue with Moscow through diplomatic channels.
This is indicated in the statement sent by the State Department following the telephone conversation held between the two diplomats.
Blinken, according to the official note, stressed before Lavrov “the US commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as the right of all countries to determine their foreign policy and alliances”.
Thus, urged Russia to initiate an “immediate de-escalation” and “withdraw troops and equipment from the borders of Ukraine”.
“The secretary emphasized the readiness of the United States, bilaterally and with allies and partners, to continue a substantive exchange with Russia regarding mutual security concerns,” the statement added.
Finally, Blinken stressed that another invasion of Ukraine “will be met with swift and serious consequences”.
The conversation is the first between Blinken and Lavrov following the US responded in writing last week to Russia’s demands for security guarantees, which received this response with skepticism and replied in writing once more on Monday.
Despite insisting that it prefers the path of diplomacy, the US has warned that it is preparing various scenarios, includings tough sanctions on Russia, in the case of invasion of Ukraine.
The White House believes that there is a “distinct possibility” that Russia will invade Ukraine in February, although the Ukrainian government has downplayed that warning and has insisted that it does not see a worsening of the situation greater than what has been seen previously.
