Blinken speaks with Russian foreign minister in latest outreach over Ukraine tensions

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the latest diplomatic outreach in the United States’ effort to stave off what officials fear is an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.  

Blinken “emphasized the U.S. willingness, bilaterally and together with Allies and partners, to continue a substantive exchange with Russia on mutual security concerns,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. 

The secretary reemphasized U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and called for Russia to draw down an estimated 100,000 troops stationed near its border with Ukraine.  

“He emphasized that further invasion of Ukraine would be met with swift and severe consequences and urged Russia to pursue a diplomatic path,” Price said in the statement.  

The phone call is part of the Biden administration’s full-court press to pursue diplomacy with Russia over what it fears is an attempt by Moscow to seize territory from Kyiv beyond its invasion and occupation in 2014 of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. 

Russia maintains that it has no intent to invade Ukraine, emphasizing its troops are within its own territory, but also issuing security demands of the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to cease expansion and block Ukraine from ever joining the alliance. 

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield faced off against her Russian counterpart in an open meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday, where she warned that the Kremlin’s buildup of troops is “urgent and dangerous.” 

“If Russia further invades Ukraine, none of us will be able to say we didn’t see it coming,” she said.  

Russian Ambassador to the U.N. Vassily Nebenzia accused the U.S. of whipping up hysteria. 

Moscow and Washington have exchanged correspondence related to Russia’s security demands that has come on top of weeks of in-person meetings in Europe in a variety of forums.

The U.S. says it stands ready to discuss “reciprocal” measures that America, Europe and Russia can all take to reduce the chance of conflict, including arms control and limits on troop movements and missile deployments, but have rejected closing NATO’s so-called open-door policy.