Blinken, Borrell discuss build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine's borders

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed on Saturday night the security situation in connection with ongoing Russia's military build-up near Ukraine's borders and in its temporarily occupied territories.

“High Representative Borrell shared his assessment of the situation following his visit to Ukraine, including the line of contact… They reaffirmed the European Union and U.S. support to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and emphasised the need for Russia to de-escalate and fully implement the Minsk agreements. They underlined that any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe cost,” reads the press release published on the website of the European External Action Service on January 8.

As noted, Secretary Blinken and High Representative Borrell discussed the bilateral and multilateral diplomatic engagements following the proposals presented by the Russian Federation regarding Russia’s views about the security arrangements in Europe.

They underlined the United States’ and the EU’s enduring partnership and shared commitments to Transatlantic security and to confronting common security challenges.

In particular, the parties agreed that any discussion about European security will happen in coordination and with the participation of the European Union.

As noted, the EU and the US agreed to keep in close touch on all these priority areas.

As reported, on January 4-6, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell paid a visit to Ukraine and visited the contact line in Luhansk region where he got acquainted with the current security situation in the area of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict.

This week, a number of important diplomatic events will take place to resolve tensions over Russia's military build-up along Ukraine's borders. In particular, on Monday, Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba will visit NATO Headquarters to attend a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. The meeting will take place before the NATO-Russia Council, convened at NATO's initiative on 12 January.

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