EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell invited US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday to take part in the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) discussions devoted to Russia and Ukraine, scheduled for Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th January, 2022) EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell invited US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday to take part in the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) discussions devoted to Russia and Ukraine, scheduled for Monday.
"I have invited @SecBlinken to join FAC discussions on Russia/Ukraine on Monday. Look forward to continue our engagement on ongoing international diplomatic efforts & continued close transatlantic coordination. The EU & U.S stand together to face challenges to security in Europe," Borrell wrote on Twitter.
Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke with Borrell by phone and discussed the security situation around Ukraine. The officials touched upon a new set of measures for "containing" Russia in the event of escalation, according to a statement of Ukraine's foreign ministry. Borrell told Kuleba that Russia's goal is to achieve Ukraine's "destabilization from within, aimed at hindering its economic and financial processes," but the bloc will keep supporting Kiev. Kuleba described the situation as of "heightened level of threat," but added that it remains under control.
Also on Wednesday, Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev, and the officials discussed American and international security assistance to the post-Soviet country, where the secretary emphasized the necessity of "Ukrainian unity in the face of the Russian threat."
The West has recently accused Russia of military build-up on its soil near the Ukrainian border. Moscow denied the allegation, and pointed to NATO's activity near its borders, saying that the alliance's actions are a threat to its national security.
Earlier in January, the US and NATO held security consultations with Russia in Geneva, in Brussels as part of the NATO-Russia Council, and in Vienna via the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to discuss Moscow's draft proposals on security guarantees in Europe.
The FAC was set up in 2009 as a body within the EU Council dealing with external affairs. Meetings of the FAC take place monthly and are attended by foreign, defense, development, or trade ministers of EU member countries, depending on the agenda of the meeting.
