Will the US-Russia Foreign Ministers Meet Amid Tense Situation? "Not Canceled Yet"

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken (left) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Russia announced that it will dispatch peacekeeping forces to the pro-Russian rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine's Donbas region, marking a sudden military intervention. Amid this, the meeting scheduled for the 24th (local time) between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reportedly not yet been canceled.

On the 21st, CNN cited multiple U.S. State Department officials reporting that the U.S.-Russia foreign ministers' meeting has not been canceled yet. The White House announced the previous day that President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin had reached a principle agreement to hold a summit, and that as part of agenda discussions, the two countries' foreign ministers would meet first on the 24th.

In this regard, a Biden administration official said they would closely monitor Russia's actions overnight and prepare an important response on the 22nd. Since the White House emphasized that Russia's invasion must not occur as a condition for holding the meeting, CNN reported that there is also a possibility of responding by canceling the foreign ministers' meeting.

Earlier, the U.S. State Department stated that for Russia to succeed in diplomacy, it must change its course, saying, "We will strive to find a diplomatic solution to avoid a brutal and costly conflict, but if Russia does not change its course, diplomacy is unlikely to succeed."

Whether the foreign ministers' meeting takes place is expected to directly affect the possibility of a summit between President Biden and President Putin. On the same day, as President Putin decided to dispatch peacekeeping forces to Donbas, the Biden administration immediately announced a presidential executive order including new investment bans and asset freezes. A senior U.S. government official told CNN that since Russia continues to maintain a military posture, the likelihood of the summit taking place is not high.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.