US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has said he will not meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, following Moscow’s recognition of the two breakaway republics of the two breakaway republics as independent states.
“Now that we see that the invasion has begun and that Russia has clearly rejected diplomacy, a meeting at this stage makes no sense,” Mr Blinken told a joint news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba.
“We will not allow Russia to use diplomacy as a cover while at the same time accelerating its path to conflict and war,” he said.
However, he said he was ready to continue diplomatic efforts “if Russia is ready to take verifiable measures to prove to the international community (…) that it is serious when it comes to de-escalation and finding a diplomatic solution.”
“If Moscow changes its behavior, I am ready to discuss,” he added. But Russia “must show that it is serious. The last 24 hours have shown just the opposite,” he said.
The US Secretary of State said that the economic sanctions announced earlier by President Joe Biden will not be the last if Russian President Vladimir Putin realizes his threats against Ukraine.
“In any new escalation on the part of Russia, we will react with new swift and tough measures, in coordination with our allies, in addition to those that have been announced,” he warned.
Mr Kouleba, for his part, praised the “wave” approach to imposing international sanctions. “This is something that can have an effect, if it continues and lasts,” he said.
“Vladimir Putin should by no means assume that the pressure has reached its peak and that” there can be no further punishment, “he added. “The pressure must continue to grow. And if that means frequent announcements of new sanctions, we will be pleased.”
“No Biden-Putin summit planned”
“Certainly no summit of US Presidents Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is planned” at this stage, “the White House said after US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced that his meeting with him had been canceled. Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov who was supposed to be preparatory.
“It’s certainly not planned at this point,” said Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the US presidency.
Source: Capital
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