US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to begin a series of diplomatic meetings in Ukraine and Germany to follow up on last week's discussions of the Russian security proposals in Europe
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2022) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to begin a series of diplomatic meetings in Ukraine and Germany to follow up on last week's discussions of the Russian security proposals in Europe.
The top US diplomat will spend Wednesday in Kiev to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and other officials to review last week's diplomatic engagements and discuss next steps amid rising tensions with Russia.
On Thursday, Blinken will head to Berlin to take part in two meetings - with the German government and transatlantic QUAD - as part of ongoing intensive consultations Washington is conducting on joint European response to alleged Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, according to the State Department.
Last week was marked by as many as three diplomatic meetings with the participation of Russia and the United States. On January 10, Russia and the US held a strategic stability dialogue meeting in Geneva. The bilateral talks were followed by a NATO-Russia Council meeting in Brussels last Wednesday, the first since 2019, and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) talks in Vienna the next day.
Blinken's trip to Europe will take place in the environment of US' continued accusations against Russia that it is preparing a military invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has on many occasions dismissed the accusations and pointed to NATO's military activity near its borders and warned the alliance's actions are a threat to its national security.
At the same time, Russia sees the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO as fundamental for its national security while NATO members, including the United States, continue to deny Moscow's right to disagree with the alliance's plans to station its military infrastructure near its borders in Eastern Europe.
Secretary General NATO Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, the alliance will send a written response to Russia's proposals on security guarantees soon. The written response will include NATO's suggestions for arms control, greater transparency in military activities, missiles, and other issues.
Following the meetings in Kiev and Berlin, Blinken will travel to Geneva, Switzerland to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after the two diplomats spoke over phone earlier in the day.
