Blinken-Lavrov call results in another stalemate for Ukraine crisis

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov seem to have come to no agreement during their Feb. 12 telephone call concerning the threat of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Blinken reiterated that more aggression against Ukraine by Russia will result in "a resolute, massive, and united Transatlantic response," according to State Department spokesman Ned Price.

Blinken also told Lavrov that a diplomatic path to resolving the crisis remained open, but "it would require Moscow to deescalate and engage in good-faith discussions."

According to a readout by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov accused the West of "deploying a propaganda campaign about Russian aggression against Ukraine." This way, the West encourages the Ukrainian government to sabotage the Minsk Agreements and try to resolve the "Donbas problem" by force, the readout says.

Lavrov also complained that the U.S. and the EU ignored Russia’s key demands, especially demands to stop NATO expansion and deployment of strike weapon systems near its borders.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are also scheduled to have a call later today. The last minute flurry of diplomacy comes in the middle of a major pullout of embassy staff by multiple countries and Washington's warnings that Russia is ready to attack and can strike at any time.