WEB DESK
The United States is warning Russia that the U.S. and its allies will respond “forcefully and resolutely” to further Russian military aggression against Ukraine but hopes Moscow will pursue a diplomatic path to resolve the crisis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told VOA on Wednesday.
“We’ve offered Russia a clear choice, a choice between pursuing dialogue and diplomacy on the one hand, or confrontation and consequences on the other hand,” Blinken said during an interview with VOA.
Earlier at a joint news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Blinken said “Russia has ratcheted up its threats and amassed nearly 100,000 forces on Ukraine’s border, which it could double on relatively short order,” sBlinken added that U.S. material assistance deliveries to Ukraine were ongoing, with more scheduled “in the coming weeks.”
“Should Russia carry through with any aggressive intent and renew its aggression and invade Ukraine, we will provide additional material beyond” what’s already in the pipeline, said Blinken.