Ukraine: Baerbock and Blinken call on Russia for dialogue

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Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock with her counterpart Antony Blinken in Berlin

Photo: POOL / REUTERS

At a meeting, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged their mutual support in the conflict with Russia.

You work very closely together, said Baerbock in Berlin.

She called on Russia not to let the conflict with Ukraine escalate any further.

"The only way out of the crisis is a political way," said Baerbock, "and that way is dialogue." Unfortunately, the Russian behavior "continues to speak a different language" with regard to their military maneuvers and troop deployments near the Ukrainian border.

According to Baerbock, should Moscow continue its aggression, it would have “serious consequences”.

Blinken repeated his warnings to the Kremlin.

The US and its allies agree that if Russia aggresses against Ukraine, the costs will be swift and massive, he says.

The common goal is to find a diplomatic way to de-escalate.

But you look at each scenario of how Russia could act in order to react accordingly.

In addition to military actions, Moscow still has "many tools up its sleeve," said Blinken.

But whichever way Russia chooses, it will find the United States and its allies united.

Germany will secure European peace with a "protective shield," said Baerbock.

»This also applies if these measures would have economic consequences for us.«

This should mean above all the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline, with which Russian gas deliveries to Germany are to be secured.

So far, the federal government has not said that it would stop the project as a means of exerting pressure on Russia – the United States has been demanding this for a long time.

Blinken on diplomatic tour in Europe

Baerbock and Blinken met France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Britain's Deputy Foreign Minister James Cleverly in Berlin to discuss the crisis in Ukraine.

Because of the massive Russian troop deployment in the border region to the neighboring country, the West fears that Russia is preparing an invasion.

Moscow rejects the accusations and is demanding security guarantees from NATO, including a waiver of further eastward expansion.

The defense alliance rejects this.

Blinken visited Kiev on Wednesday and discussed ways out of the crisis with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The US Secretary of State warned of a "very short-term" increase in Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.

The US government is aware of similar plans in Moscow, he said.

A meeting between Blinken and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) is scheduled for the afternoon.

The US Secretary of State plans to speak to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about the conflict in Geneva on Friday.

So far there has been no sign of any rapprochement between Russia and the West on the Ukraine issue.

At a press conference in the White House on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin "will move into" Ukraine.

He warned his Russian colleagues of a "catastrophe" for his own country should there be a widespread invasion of the neighboring country.

Moscow rejected the allegation and accused Biden of escalating the situation with his words.

mrc/AFP