On Thursday, United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with America’s European allies in Germany to reaffirm their joint support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, one day before another round of diplomatic talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.
Blinken held bilateral talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, wherein they discussed ways to deepen Washington-Berlin relations, particularly in light of the growing security concerns in Europe. Blinken and Scholz reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, adding that they are ready to impose “massive consequences and severe costs” on Russia if it continues its hostile behaviour towards the former Soviet state. The two also discussed the China threat and expressed urgency over Iran nuclear deal negotiations.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock held a joint press conference with Blinken to discuss the deliberations that took place at the Transatlantic Quad meeting. The Quad includes the US, Germany, France and the United Kingdom (UK); High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell was also present present for the talks. Baerbock said the purpose of Thursday’s meeting was to decide the future steps regarding Moscow after last week’s diplomatic engagement between the West and Russia.
She added that the only way out of the crisis in Ukraine was through diplomacy, saying, “This is about no less but the preservation of Europe’s peaceful order.” Moreover, Baerbock highlighted that Berlin and Paris are open to diplomatic engagement with Moscow through the Normandy Format, which includes Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.
Secretary Blinken welcomed Baerbock’s comments and added that Washington is working to update all of its European allies on last week’s talks with Russia and Wednesday’s meeting with Ukraine. Blinken emphasised that the US has been conducting consultations with European partners that include the G7, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Bucharest Nine. Blinken also confirmed that no gas is flowing through Russia’s flagship pipeline Nord Stream 2, noting that this is leverage for the US and Europe against Russia.
On Tuesday, Baerbock met her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow to discuss Russia’s military aggression towards Ukraine. In a joint press conference with Lavrov, Baerbock said there was “no understandable reason” for Russia’s 100,000 strong troop build-up along the Ukrainian border, adding that it was “hard not to take [the buildup] as a threat.” However, both Baerbock and Lavrov agreed on the need to implement the 2014 Minsk Protocol, despite Lavrov’s claims of “anti-Russia” sentiments within the EU.
On Friday, Blinken will meet Lavrov to discuss last week’s diplomatic engagement with the US, NATO-Russia Council and the OSCE.