After his visit to Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken intends to visit Geneva, where he will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
This is reported by CNN correspondent Jennifer Hansleron on her Twitter page
According to Hansler, Lavrov and Blinken will meet on Friday, January 21.
“Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have agreed to meet in Geneva on Friday following Blinken’s meetings in Kyiv and Berlin, a senior State Department official told reporters Tuesday,” she tweeted.
It is worth noting that starting from January 18 till January 20, Antony Blinken will be on working visits to Kyiv and Berlin. The trip follows extensive diplomacy with our European Allies and partners about a united approach to address the threat Russia poses to Ukraine and our joint efforts to encourage it to choose diplomacy and de-escalation in the interests of security and stability.
According to the State Department, in Kyiv Blinken will meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on January 19 to reinforce the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Secretary will also meet with the employees and families of the U.S. Embassy to communicate the Department’s efforts to plan for contingencies, should Russia choose to escalate further.
On January 20, Secretary Blinken will travel to Berlin, Germany to discuss recent diplomatic engagements with Russia and joint efforts to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine, including Allies’ and partners’ readiness to impose massive consequences and severe economic costs on Russia. The Secretary will meet with Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, followed by a meeting with the Transatlantic Quad.
According to the U.S. Department of State, Blinken’s meetings in Ukraine and Germany are a continuation of the intensive consultations the United States is conducting with European allies and partners as part of our unified response to Russia’s actions.
The Secretary will then travel to Geneva, Switzerland, on January 21, to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to engage on areas of bilateral concern and urge Russia to take steps to de-escalate and remove its troops along Ukraine’s border.
The Secretary’s travel and consultations are part of the diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the tension caused by Russia’s military build-up and continued aggression against Ukraine.