President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky today, January 19, held talks with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Mr. Zelensky met with the head of the State Department in Kiev and discussed Russia, and spoke by phone with the head of the military alliance about Ukraine’s participation in the summit in the summer.
According to a State Department press release, Mr. Blinken assured Mr. Zelensky that if Russia “chooses the path of further aggression”, then the US sanctions “will cause irreparable damage to the Russian economy” and NATO’s presence “will be strengthened” in the allied states. Mr. Blinken also said that this year the United States will additionally allocate $300 million to Ukraine, Interfax reports.
With the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Zelensky exchanged “information and views on the necessary diplomatic efforts for stability in Europe.” “We discussed preparations for the June NATO summit and the possible participation of Ukraine in it. The open door policy remains unchanged. Twitter Ukrainian President.
On January 12, talks between Russia and NATO were held in Brussels. The alliance refused to guarantee that it would not accept Ukraine into its structure (this is one of the requirements of Russia). Today, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that “through the fault” of the United States and NATO, the situation in the field of European security has become critical.
Read about the relations between Russia and the West in the publication “Kommersant” “We do not threaten anyone. We warn.”