Washington. January 21. INTERFAX - US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Friday in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba discussed a trip to Europe in response to the military buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine, the US State Department reports.
"Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke by phone today with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba about the results of his trip to Europe as a reaction to the unprovoked Russian military buildup near the borders of Ukraine," the State Department said in a press release.
As noted in the document, the Secretary of State informed his Ukrainian counterpart, in particular, about meetings with high-ranking officials of Russia and European countries in Geneva and Berlin.
"The Secretary of State stressed that any further steps by Russia to invade (Ukraine - IF) will entail a quick, harsh and unified response from the United States and allies," the press release emphasizes.
Blinken also reiterated the unwavering support of the United States for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and also stressed that no decisions on Ukraine will be made without Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks in Geneva on Friday. Blinken agreed to provide Moscow with a written response to its security proposals and to meet again as part of efforts to resolve the situation around Ukraine diplomatically. The Secretary of State said after the talks in Geneva that he had heard Lavrov's words about Russia's lack of plans to invade Ukraine, but the United States needs more weighty evidence of Moscow's similar position.
