Blinken: Russia must de-escalate tension with Ukraine before upcoming meeting

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that Russia  must de-escalate tension on the border with Ukraine for the upcoming diplomatic meetings to be successful. 

“it’s very hard to make actual progress in any of these areas in an atmosphere of escalation and threat, with a gun pointed at Ukraine’s head,” Blinken said yesterday. 

Blinken stated that the path of “diplomacy and de-escalation” was one of two the US and international community has laid out for Moscow ahead of a series of meetings which aim to ease tension. 

The comments come as the US delegation has plans to sit down with Russian representatives in Geneva, the first of three engagements with Russia next week.

The US President Joe Biden has already warned Russia of ‘massive consequences’ if it attacked Ukraine.