Blinken used "whirlwind diplomacy" to pull allies to resist Russia, and Biden's statement made Blinken fall into embarrassment

Source: Global Times

Against the backdrop of the stalemate in the national security talks between Russia and the West, the US Secretary of State visited Germany on the 20th and met with the foreign ministers of Other "Transatlantic Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" countries in Berlin to "show solidarity" with European allies. However, it is ridiculous that before Blinken's "action" began, a statement by US President Biden on the 19th has exposed the differences between NATO countries on the position of Russia.

U.S.-Europe "Show Solidarity"

The so-called "transatlantic quartet" refers to the four countries of the United States, Britain, France, and Germany. According to the German newspaper Le Monde and other media reports, Blinken held talks in Berlin on Thursday with the Franco-German foreign minister and the British deputy foreign secretary. Blinken said that Russia's ban on NATO taking over Ukraine violates NATO's "open door" principle, which is greater than the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and between Russia and Western countries. To demonstrate U.S.-European unity, he spoke with the German foreign minister, saying the West would not back down even if it suffered.

Berlin is the second stop of Blinken's "whirlwind diplomacy" in Europe. He visited Ukraine on the 19th and met with the Ukrainian president and foreign minister. Blinken's visit was arranged on an ad hoc basis to show Washington's support for Kiev. In addition to hyping up the claim that Russia could launch a new attack on Ukraine in a "very short period of time" and that Russia would be subject to severe sanctions in this case, the senior U.S. diplomat urged Russia to choose a "path of peace" on Ukraine. As part of its efforts to prevent Russia's "invasion" of Ukraine, the United States is preparing to impose financial sanctions on pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, which will be announced as early as Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Agence France-Presse and other media believe that Blinken's visit to Germany is to establish a united front against Russia, but a statement by Biden on the 19th has embarrassed the task of this senior US diplomatic official. Biden hinted that NATO countries have different positions on how to punish Russia in the event of a "small-scale invasion" of Ukraine by Russia. The British "Guardian" commented that Biden opened up NATO's differences on Russia's "invasion" of Ukraine. As for the different positions of the United States and Europe on Russia, the PRESIDENT of the United States is hinting, while the president of France is explicit. Macron said on Wednesday that for the EU to propose an independent policy toward Russia, it must negotiate with Russia on its own, rather than relying on the United States. He warned that Europe could have "the most tragic all-out war".

The United States was exposed to the approval of the three Baltic states to supply weapons to Ukraine

Will Russia really "invade" Ukraine? VoA reported Wednesday that the U.S. government could not yet be sure that Moscow had such a plan. In this context, while the United States has embarked on diplomatic activities, claiming to cool down the situation, it will continue to provide Ukraine with various types of weapons and military training.

According to Reuters reported on the 20th, 3 people familiar with the matter revealed that the US State Department has approved Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to transport US-made missiles and other weapons to Ukraine. Under U.S. law, countries must obtain approval from the U.S. Department of State before transferring weapons acquired from the United States to a third party. The third-party transfer agreement will allow Estonia to transfer the Javelin anti-tank missile system to Ukraine, while Lithuania will be allowed to transfer the Stinger missile. The Baltic states are not only seeking to ship weapons to Ukraine, but are also demanding that NATO increase its military presence in their countries. The State Department did not immediately comment on the news, though a spokesman for the agency confirmed that the Biden administration approved an additional $200 million in security assistance to Ukraine last December. Washington will begin shipping $200 million worth of anti-armor missiles, ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine in the coming days, according to The American Political News Network.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said on the 20th that from 2014 to 2021, the United States provided $2.5 billion in aid to Ukraine. Last year alone, the United States provided Ukraine with $650 million worth of weapons and military equipment, the most since 2014, when Washington handed over weapons and military equipment to Kiev.

In addition to the United States, countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada are also providing military support to Ukraine. On Monday, Britain's defence secretary, Wallace, announced that London would "supply Ukraine with light, anti-armor, defensive weapons systems." He later said that the shipment of more defensive weapons to Ukraine would not be ruled out. Last November, the Uk and the Ukrainian government signed an agreement to build eight warships for Kiev in London. According to Agence France-Presse reported on the 20th, Macron announced on Wednesday that France may garrison troops in Romania and other countries, and the Romanian president welcomed this statement. CNN quoted A U.S. source as saying that in order to strengthen NATO allies in the Black Sea region, the United States may approve the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

"Last stop before the train crash"

The Russian Navy plans to hold large-scale military exercises in areas such as the Pacific and the Mediterranean from January to February. NATO plans to hold its largest exercise in the Arctic Circle in early March, with 35,000 military personnel from 28 countries expected to participate. The United States claims to de-escalate the situation through diplomatic activities. Blinken will hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Geneva on the 21st. Some media described the talk as "the last stop before the train crashed." Zakharova confirmed on the 20th that Lavrov and Blinken will discuss the Russian security guarantee agreement in Geneva on Friday and try to determine the next negotiation steps. But Blinken said wednesday he would not forward Torre Lavrov's written response to Russia's security initiative. The senior U.S. diplomat said some of the ideas put forward by Russia were "absolutely impossible," but that the two sides could make progress in some areas of European security.

Ukraine's foreign minister said Kiev hoped that after talks between Blinken and Lavrov, Russia's attitude toward easing Russian-Ukrainian relations would be "more constructive." According to the Russian "Izvestia" reported on the 20th, Russian insiders revealed that since the Russian side said that it would only start real negotiations on security guarantees after receiving the reply of Western countries to Russia's security initiative, lavrov and Blinken's talks would not reach any agreement, but would discuss security measures.

Can the United States and Russia find diplomatic "exports" on the Ukraine issue? Agence France-Presse said on the 20th that in the previous US-Russia security strategic dialogue, the United States put forward the proposal of de facto restoring the INF Treaty. Some scholars have suggested a moratorium on ukraine and other countries joining NATO for 20 to 25 years. In this regard, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said that the Russian Foreign Ministry has been informed of the Us proposal to reinstate the INF Treaty, but Moscow's first task is to obtain legal guarantees from NATO not to expand. He stressed that Russia cannot accept that NATO is simply postponing its eastward expansion.