By Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday he had canceled a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov planned for Thursday after Moscow’s recognition of two separatist regions in Ukraine as independent entities.
Blinken said he had agreed to meet with Lavrov, his counterpart, only if Russia did not invade Ukraine.
“Now that we see the invasion is beginning and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go forward with that meeting at this time,” Blinken told reporters after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Washington.
“I consulted with our allies and partners; all agreed,” Blinken said, adding that he sent Lavrov a letter on Tuesday informing him he would no longer meet with him.
The United States and its allies will continue to escalate sanctions if Russia further escalates its aggression toward Ukraine, the secretary of state said.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and Simon LewisEditing by Chris Reese and Jonathan Oatis)
