WASHINGTON – President Biden does not plan to meet at the moment with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in the face of what the US considers the “beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine”.
The White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, said in her daily press conference that “diplomacy cannot be successful unless Russia changes direction”.
She recalled that the secretary of State, Antony Blinken, canceled on Tuesday a meeting that was scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland, with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov
Bliken canceled the appointment after Russia authorized the sending of troops to the Donbas and recognize the self-proclaimed separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, in eastern Ukraine.
Psaki indicated that the initial idea was for Blinken and Lavrov to meet first, to later hold a meeting between Biden and Putin.
“In this point, that is not in the plans”, settled the spokeswoman, who stressed that Russia should take action to reduce tension in Ukraine so that a meeting between the two leaders is back on the table.
“A de-escalation means moving troops, it means de-escalation with respect to the measures that (the Russians) continue to take on a daily basis,” Psaki clarified, who, however, clarified that the cancellation of the meeting between Blinken and Lavrov does not mean the end of the road diplomat.
In an increase in pressure on Ukraine, President Putin announced on television the recognition by Russia of the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which have remained in rebellion in recent years, which has served as a turning point in the expectations of an invasion of the entire Ukrainian territory that has been warned in the last months.
