Secretary Blinken travels to Ukraine, Germany and Switzerland
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will travel to Kiev, Berlin and Geneva on January 18-21, 2022. The trip follows extensive diplomacy with our European allies and partners on a common approach to addressing the threat Russia poses to Ukraine and our common country, and efforts to encourage it to choose diplomacy and de-escalation in the interests of security and stability .
Foreign Minister Blinken will begin his trip in Kyiv, Ukraine, where he will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on January 19 to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The minister will also meet with US embassy staff and families to share the ministry’s efforts to plan for contingencies should Russia decide to escalate further.
On January 20, Minister Blinken travels to Berlin, Germany to discuss recent diplomatic commitments with Russia and joint efforts to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine, including preparedness of allies and partners, Russia’s massive consequences and high economic costs to impose. The Secretary of State will meet Secretary of State Annalena Baerbock, followed by a meeting with the Transatlantic Quad.
The secretary will then travel to Geneva, Switzerland on January 21 to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to engage on areas of bilateral interest and urge Russia to take steps to de-escalate and deploy its troops along the withdraw from the Ukrainian border.
The foreign minister’s trips and consultations are part of diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions caused by Russia’s military buildup and ongoing aggression against Ukraine.