Ukraine conflict with Russia – Blinken and Baerbock insist on a diplomatic solution to the crisis – News

  • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock discussed the Ukraine conflict in Berlin.
  • They call on Russia to de-escalate and advocate overcoming the crisis through political means.
  • On Friday US Secretary of State Blinken will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned against a Russian invasion of Ukraine. “As soon as the principles of sovereignty and self-determination are thrown overboard, you fall back into a world in which the rules that we have worked out together over decades are eroding.”

US Military Aid: No provocation for Blinken


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The US has promised Ukraine “additional material” should Russia invade the country. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “The notion that the supply of military defense equipment to Ukraine by the United States, European countries and NATO is somehow a provocation or a reason for Russia’s actions turns the world on its head .» The military support should enable Ukraine to defend itself, Blinken continued.

He emphasized that every border crossing by Russian forces would lead to a “quick and tough joint response” by the United States and its allies. Blinken clarified statements by US President Joe Biden. He indicated on Wednesday that a lesser aggression by Russia could result in a milder reaction from the West.

Blinking warns of high casualty rate when attacked

Blinken sees the controversial Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 as a possible “means of pressure” against Moscow. The finished pipeline, which has not yet been released for operation, is intended to pump gas from Russia to Germany in the future – bypassing the Ukraine.

Legend:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock demonstrated unity at the meeting in Berlin.

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With a view to a possible invasion, the US Secretary of State said: “The human cost of a renewed attack by Russia would be many orders of magnitude higher than what we have seen so far.”

Baerbock speaks of “serious consequences”

Blinken’s counterpart, the Green politician Annalena Baerbock, also spoke of “serious consequences”. The matter at stake is nothing less than the preservation of the European peace order. «It is existential for us. That’s why we have no choice but to stand up for them and protect them with a protective shield.”

The European peace order is existential for us.

This also applies “if these measures should have economic consequences for us”. Unfortunately, Russia’s “activities of concern” would continue to increase.

Baerbock referred to the bad situation in eastern Ukraine and announced that he would soon be traveling to the region. 14,000 people have already been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Almost three million Ukrainians in Donbass were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

Russia has gathered around 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine. For months, the United States and NATO have accused Russia of planning an attack on Ukraine. Moscow rejects this every day.

Russia opposes Ukraine’s entry into NATO

Above all, Russia wants to use the deployment near Ukraine to create a threatening backdrop because it says it sees itself increasingly threatened by NATO expansion. The government in Moscow is demanding security guarantees, including a NATO commitment that Ukraine will not be admitted to the alliance. NATO rejects this with reference to the right of states to self-determination.

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