The top US diplomat met with Ukraine’s president on Wednesday as Washington urgently presses ahead with diplomatic efforts to stave off a Russian invasion of Kyiv.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that if Russia chooses “the path of further aggression against Ukraine,” the US and its allies would impose “crippling costs of Russia’s economy.”
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He added that NATO, an alliance that Russia does not want Ukraine to join, would reinforce its presence around Russia and increase defensive assistance to Ukraine “above and beyond what we are already providing.”
Washington has said that Moscow stationed nearly 100,000 troops along the border with Ukraine ahead of plans to invade Ukraine further.
Russia denies these claims.
During his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Blinken stressed the need for a unified Ukraine in the face of the Russian threat.
“He emphasized the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and reiterated the principle of nothing about Ukraine, without Ukraine,” a statement from Blinken’s office said.
Read more: Blinken, Russian FM to meet in Geneva Friday on Ukraine
