Blinken meets Lavrov in Geneva on Friday
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday. The aim is to continue diplomatic talks and take steps to de-escalate.
US and EU diplomats are currently holding a series of talks amid concerns about a Russian state invasion of Ukraine. Blinken is expected in Kyiv on Wednesday, where he is due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Afterwards, there will be talks in Berlin with the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, and colleagues from Great Britain and France. In Geneva on Friday, Blinken will continue to explore whether Russia is interested in a diplomatic way out of the crisis, according to the US State Department.
The meeting with Lavrov is an opportunity for the US to see where there is a chance for Moscow and Washington to find common ground, the US State Department said.
It continues to work very closely with allies to ensure that there will be “massive consequences” should Russia decide to carry out further aggression against Ukraine. Negotiations between the USA and Russia, in the NATO-Russia Council and within the framework of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) remained largely fruitless last week.
dpa/tgab