US to hold 'last-ditch' talks on Ukraine situation
The US once again warns Russia of dire consequences over an alleged invasion of Ukraine and says a "high price" will be paid.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his German, French, and British counterparts in Berlin and they warned Russia of "grave consequences" if it were to launch an incursion into Ukraine, claiming it "cannot match" the resoluteness of Western powers.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the West will take action against Russia, even if this action were to have "economic consequences" on them.
Naval drills
As tensions mount amid the crisis with Ukraine, Russia still insists it has no plans to invade and has warned NATO of its eastward expansion toward the Russian border. Russia has also submitted security proposals in order to achieve a de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis with NATO, which the US rejected.
Washington had replied to the demands, calling them non-starters, and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the Western alliance "will not compromise on core principles such as the right for each nation to choose its own path," referring to Ukraine joining the alliance.
Russia has announced new naval drills in which it will deploy "more than 140 warships and support vessels, more than 60 aircraft, 1,000 pieces of military equipment, and about 10,000 servicemen" to the Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, and Mediterranean.
Amid all these tensions, Biden said Russia will pay a "stiff price" if it "invades the Ukraine," threatening Russia with sanctions. He renewed the US rejection of Russia's demands that NATO not expand eastward; however, he said there was a very slight chance that Ukraine will join the alliance, to begin with.
On the other hand, the US leader said he was spending much time trying to keep NATO allies "on the same page" in confronting Russia.
US and Russia will hold last-ditch talks on Ukraine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet on Friday in Geneva in a last-ditch effort to find a solution to the tensions on Europe's eastern border.
The talks between the foreign ministers come just after 11 days of talks between their deputies in Geneva where they agreed to preserve dialogue amid Russia's warning of US Private Military Contractors' activity in Ukraine.
Although the January 10 session lasted for eight hours, Lavrov and Blinken's meeting is expected to be short, as it will be to determine whether there is still a path for diplomacy between the two sides.
"These are difficult issues we are facing, and resolving them won't be done quickly. I don't expect we'll solve them in Geneva," Blinken said in Geneva.
Yesterday, Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Western statements about Russia's preparations for an alleged attack on Ukraine are a media “cover for staging large-scale provocations of their own, including those of military character.”
She said, “They may have extremely tragic consequences for the regional and global security," explaining that Western and Ukrainian media, as well as officials, have ramped up efforts in making speculations about the alleged "coming" Russian "invasion" of Ukraine.