The United States is open to hold talks with Russia on various subjects, including security, yet de-escalation in Ukraine is needed in order for diplomacy to work, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told journalists.
He was asked about the prospects of diplomacy with Russia: talks on Ukraine, Iran, arms control, climate and other spheres. "We, of course, remain open to pursuing any reasonable path, but it’s very hard to see any path when the bombs are dropping, the planes are flying, the tanks are rolling," Blinken said.
"So de-escalation, pulling back forces - that would open a path to diplomacy, and we, I think, demonstrated very clearly in the months leading up to Russia’s aggression that we were prepared to engage Russia diplomatically on any legitimate security concerns on a reciprocal basis that remains," he added.
