US Secy Antony Blinken discusses Ukrainian crisis with Qatar & Canada's foreign ministers

As the situation still remains fragile in Eastern Europe, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Qatar's Foreign Minister as well as the Canadian Foreign Minister to discuss the threat of a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine. Blinken stressed the importance of cooperating with allies and partners to impose swift and severe penalties on Moscow in response to any further military actions by Russia against Ukraine.

'Spoke with Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ today about the crisis Moscow has precipitated and the urgent need for Russia to deescalate tensions. I also thanked Qatar for continued assistance with Afghanistan diplomacy [sic],' Blinken wrote on Twitter.  

Secretary Blinken also expressed the United States' gratitude to Canada for hosting the Haiti ministerial meeting in January. He emphasised the necessity of the international community supporting Haiti's efforts to restore security and supporting a Haitian-led process to reach a political solution. 'I spoke with Canadian Foreign Minister @melaniejoly about our work as friends, partners, and allies, including standing up for democracy around the world, addressing Russia’s escalating aggression toward Ukraine, and encouraging Haitian efforts to bridge its political divide [sic],' the US Secretary of State tweeted.

Blinken reiterates his 'unwavering support' for Ukraine's sovereignty & territorial integrity

During a telephonic conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on February 15, Blinken said that the US is looking forward to receiving a written response from Russia in response to the security demands presented to Washington and NATO last December. Blinken also reiterated his "unwavering support" for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity while also raising concerns about Russia's ability to invade the ex-Soviet country and emphasising the need for "verifiable, credible, meaningful de-escalation," US State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated.

"We expect Russia to give a written response to the US and NATO papers shared with Moscow last month, which propose clear areas for dialogue about European security in coordination with our allies and partners," Price said in a statement. 

Blinken talked with his Russian counterpart twice within a week

It is worth mentioning here that US Secretary of State Blinken talked with his Russian counterpart for the second time within a week as Moscow continues to build troops and weapons at the Ukraine-Russia border. According to reports from the Associated Press, around 1,35,000 Russian troops are stationed in the Donbas region. The Kremlin, on the other hand, has maintained its denial of Ukrainian invasion, claiming that the movement of the military is within its borders and poses no threat to anyone. 

IMAGE: AP