Antony Blinken on diplomatic sprint to de-escalate | DW News

During a visit to Kiev for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Antony Blinken accused Moscow of trying to weaken Ukraine's democratic institutions and of attempting to divide Ukrainian society. He said Washington was committed to protecting Ukraine and preventing any escalation with Moscow. Mr. Blinken is due to hold talks with Russia's Foreign Minister on Friday.

After meeting with President Zelensky, Secretary Blinken warned Russia it would pay a heavy price for any aggression in Ukraine. Tomorrow Blinken will be here in Berlin for talks with the Quad group which includes Germany, France and the UK. On Friday, Blinken will be in Geneva for one-on-one talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Blinken is hoping these will be the final stops for a diplomatic train headed for de-escalation. Today, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister said there will be no Russian invasion of Ukraine. If he's wrong, for the Blinken diplomatic express, this week could be the end of the line.

_ 00:20 Blinken pledges US backing for Ukraine 01:08 Diplomatic offensive over Ukraine crisis 01:30 Gustav Gressel, European Council on Foreign Relations 11:36 Blinken urges unity among western nations 12:58 Steven Pifer, Senior Fellow at Brookings Institution

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