Blinken to meet Lavrov, but will first talk with French, German and UK counterparts after Kyiv visit

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to choose the "peaceful path" on Ukraine, as he visited Kyiv to show support before crunch talks with Russia later this week.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he departs, January 18, 2022, at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. Blinken is en route to Ukraine, Switzerland, and Germany. - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is scheduled to arrive in Kyiv Wednesday for crisis talks with Ukraine's leaders, as diplomatic efforts to dissuade Russia from attacking its pro-Western neighbour falter. AFP - ALEX BRANDON

But he will first travel to Berlin, where he will meet with German Foreign MInister Annalena Baerbock and their French collegue Jean Yves Le Drian. He will also meet British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. 

Blinken, who is due to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Friday, said he would not present a formal response to Russian proposals at the talks, despite Moscow's demands.

I’m traveling to Kyiv and Berlin, where I will meet with our partners and allies, before meeting with my Russian counterpart in Geneva. This is a diplomatic effort to de-escalate tensions surrounding the unprovoked Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s borders. pic.twitter.com/dAP2nkrXfK

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 18, 2022

He said the onus was on Putin to dispel fears that Moscow is planning an invasion of its pro-Western neighbour.

"I strongly, strongly hope that we can keep this on a diplomatic and peaceful path, but ultimately, that's going to be President Putin's decision," Blinken said on a day-long visit to Ukraine.

With tens of thousands of Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border, tensions between Moscow and the West have reached a post-Cold War high and there are growing fears of a major conflict in Eastern Europe.

Moscow insists it has no plans to invade, but is demanding wide-ranging security guarantees - including a ban on Ukraine ever joining NATO - in exchange for deescalation.

Little headway

Days of talks between Western and Russian officials in Geneva, Brussels and Vienna last week made no headway in resolving the crisis.

Days before Blinken travelled to Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron argued in a speech before the European Parliament that Europeans needed to build their own "collective security framework" and rearm themselves.

He appeared to be suggesting that Europe needs to work outside of the US-led NATO alliance that guarantees security for most EU states.

"Security on our continent requires strategic rearmament," he added, saying that "frank and demanding" talks with Russia were also needed.

"As Europeans, we need to collectively make our own demands and put ourselves in a position to enforce them," he said.

The European Union was not involved in the direct talks with Moscow last week.

(With wires)