WASHINGTON, 23 Feb: In a turn of drastic events, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has cancelled a planned meeting with Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, after Moscow’s recognition of two separatist regions, Donetsk and Luhansk, as independent entities.
“Now that we see the invasion is beginning and Russia making it clear of its’ wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go ahead with the meeting at this time,” Blinken said at the State Department on Tuesday after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington.
“I have consulted with our allies and partners; all agreed,” Blinken said, adding that he has sent a letter to the Russian Foreign Minister stating that he would no longer meet with him.
Echoing President Joe Biden of the United States of America, Blinken was quick to comment on Russia’s decision to recognise the independence of Ukraine’s Donbass region as he called it “a violation of international law.”
Since Moscow’s move to recognise the two regions, the US and its Western allies have committed to drastic actions as President Biden has announced new sanctions against Russia on Tuesday while German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced he has halted the process of certifying the Nordstream 2 gas pipeline from Russia.
Beyond the EU, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has hit five Russian banks and three wealthy individuals with sanctions on Tuesday in recollection of Russia’s decision.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his concern about Russia’s mediation of the situation as President Putin justified his deployment of Russian troops in Ukraine as “peacekeepers”. -TVS
