On Monday 7 February the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, expressed their complete unity and coordination regarding the crisis between Ukraine and Russia.
Speaking to the media in Washington, Mr Blinken noted that he had met with his European partners over 200 times in recent months.
The Secretary of State and the High Representative once again called for a diplomatic solution to the tensions, while reiterating that in the event of further Russian aggression in Ukraine, Russia would be severely punished.
“What happens next will depend on [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin. If he decides to go down a path that is meaningful for diplomacy and collective security, or if he chooses the path of further conflict with Ukraine”, the Secretary of State warned, adding that whatever the Russian President chose, Europeans and Americans would be aligned.
“The US, the EU, NATO allies, the OSCE have put forward ideas on how we and Russia could find an agreement that could strengthen collective security for all”, Mr Blinken said.
According to Mr Borrell, a diplomatic solution to the conflict is still possible. He announced that he would coordinate the Member States’ response to the letter sent by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on collective security (see EUROPE 12882/13).
The High Representative and the Secretary of State recalled that in the event of a Russian attack, the consequences for Moscow would be significant. They explained that the US and the EU were coordinating on how to respond to Russian aggression, including in terms of sanctions.
Mr Blinken spoke of “a high-impact, quick-action response that would inflict massive costs on the Russian economy and financial system including sanctions and significant export control that would have a long-term effect”.
“Further aggression will have enormous consequences”, Mr Borrell warned again.
In an interview on 4 February, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the package of measures that the EU could adopt was ready (see EUROPE 12884/16).
Asked about the division between Europeans and Americans over whether or not Russia was about to attack Ukraine, Mr Borrell explained that the EU and the US shared concerns about the build-up of troops on the border, saying the military was not there to “have tea”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)