Russia is heading for an “imminent invasion” of Ukraine despite its troop withdrawal announcements, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Thursday.
The diplomat indicated that she asked the Secretary of State of the United States Antony Blinken to attend the meeting on Thursday, February 17, of the UN Security Council on Ukraine.
The long-planned meeting will be chaired by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Verchinin, with British Deputy Minister for Europe James Cleverly also taking part.
On the way to the security conference organized later this week in Munich, Blinken will arrive at the UN “to make it clear to the world that we are doing everything possible to avoid a war,” the US ambassador, who has the rank of ministers as a member of Joe Biden’s cabinet.
“Our goal is to convey the gravity of the situation” because “this is a pivotal moment,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
Blinken will highlight “our intense commitment to diplomacy, offer and underline the path to de-escalation,” he added.
Americans watched with concern on Wednesday as Russia continues to stoke the conflict while claiming a de-escalation has begun, a senior State Department official told reporters, citing a similarity to the phase that preceded Moscow’s 2008 incursion into Georgia. .
