U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reassured NATO allies of the United States’ commitment to Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression during a phone call with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, confirmed Secretary of State spokesman Ned Price.
“The secretary reaffirmed the United States’ firm commitment to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in the face of the unprovoked concentration of Russian troops,” Price said, telling reporters the pair also discussed “further cooperation on diplomacy with Moscow, while taking steps to deter Russia from further aggression.”
Blinken reportedly praised the Polish leadership on NATO’s eastern flank and Poland’s presidency in the OSCE, and further underlined the U.S.’ commitment to trans-Atlantic security.
The U.S. secretary of state and other representatives of the Biden administration have emphasized many times that if Russia decides to once again carry out aggression towards Ukraine, the U.S. will strengthen NATO’s eastern flank.
The statement was released following the Russian OSCE ambassador’s announcement that Russia will not discuss its security demands at the OSCE forum.
During the first OSCE Permanent Council meeting of the year, Zbigniew Rau had warned that the risk of war in Europe was the highest it has been in 30 years.
On Saturday, Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Łukasz Jasina said that Rau would visit Washington between January and February and meet with Blinken, and it is also expected to visit Moscow in February.
Poland’s deputy foreign minister also spoke with U.S. Secretary of State advisor Derek Chollet on Saturday about tensions with Russia and the role the OSCE will play moving forward. The organization is now under a Polish presidency with Zbigniew Rau holding the position of chairman until next year.
