Blinken Will Meet With Russia as U.S. Pushes for More Diplomacy
The New York Times
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will meet with Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov of Russia in Geneva on Friday as the United States warns that Russia could soon attack Ukraine.
WASHINGTON — Seeking to head off a potential assault on Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will meet with Russia’s foreign minister on Friday as the two sides explore whether there is still a diplomatic path to avoiding a conflict in Eastern Europe.
The talks will try to break a deadlock that was thrown into sharp relief last week when a series of three negotiating sessions between Russia and the West ended in an impasse. The thorniest issue was Russia’s demand that NATO pledge not to expand eastward, a condition that the United States and Western Europe have rejected.
The White House said on Tuesday that Mr. Blinken would “urge Russia to take immediate steps to de-escalate.”
