U.S.’ Blinken cancels meeting with Lavrov, says Russian moves are ‘rejection of diplomacy’

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned on Tuesday he had canceled a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov deliberate for Thursday after Moscow’s recognition of two separatist areas in Ukraine as unbiased entities.

Blinken mentioned he had agreed to satisfy with Lavrov, his counterpart, provided that Russia didn’t invade Ukraine.

“Now that we see the invasion is starting and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it doesn’t make sense to go ahead with that meeting right now,” Blinken informed reporters after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington.

Blinken mentioned he was nonetheless dedicated to diplomacy “if Moscow’s method modifications” and would do something he may “to avert an excellent worse-case state of affairs, an all-out assault on all of Ukraine, together with its capital.”

“But we won’t enable Russia to say the pretense of diplomacy on the similar time it accelerates its march down the trail of battle and struggle,” he added.

Western nations imposed new sanctions on Russia on Tuesday after Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the breakaway areas of Donetsk and Luhansk on Monday and ordered Russian troops into japanese Ukraine to “preserve the peace.” Washington has dismissed that justification to deploy troops as “nonsense.”

A Reuters reporter noticed a handful of tanks on the outskirts on Donetsk in a single day and several other blasts have been heard within the metropolis of Donetsk on Tuesday.

Washington had consulted with allies on the choice to cancel the talks, scheduled to happen in Europe, earlier than informing Lavrov in a letter on Tuesday, Blinken mentioned.

Blinken mentioned Putin’s speech asserting the moves was “deeply disturbing” and confirmed the world that Putin views Ukraine as “subordinate to Russia.”

The United States and its allies will proceed to escalate sanctions if Russia additional escalates its aggression towards Ukraine, the secretary of state mentioned.

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Simon LewisEditing by Chris Reese, Jonathan Oatis and Karishma Singh)



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