Blinken to visit Ukraine as US-Russia tensions escalate

18/1/2022 20:31

        Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Ukraine this week and meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky as tensions between the U.S. and Russia escalate over a possible Russian invasion of its neighbor, the State Department said Tuesday.
        
        Blinken will be in Kyiv on a hastily arranged trip to show U.S. support following inconclusive diplomatic talks between Moscow and the West in Europe last week that failed to resolve stark disagreements over Ukraine and other security matters.
        
        Instead, those meetings appear to have increased fears of a Russian invasion, and the Biden administration has accused Russia of preparing a "false flag operation" to use as a pretext for intervention. Russia has angrily denied the charge.
        
        The State Department said in a statement, Blinken's "travel and consultations are part of the diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the tension caused by Russia's military build-up and continued aggression against Ukraine."