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Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Friday in Australia that Russia could invade Ukraine at any time, including during the Olympic Games, which run through the 20th in Beijing.
Blinken, who made the remarks in Melbourne after meeting with his counterparts from India, Japan, and Australia as part of the Quad defense alliance, stressed that all American citizens on Ukrainian soil should leave now because of the risk of war.
Blinken warned that they are also working on deterrence and defense measures and that Moscow will face massive consequences if it decides to invade Ukraine, including economic sanctions, export limitations and an increase in Ukrainian and NATO military capabilities.
The senior U.S. official also stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity and sovereignty.
In this regard, he warned that the border change in Ukraine, with the threat of some 100,000 Russian troops deployed next to it and the military maneuvers in Belarus, could set a dangerous precedent in other regions such as the Indo-Pacific.
Blinken participated Friday in a meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) defense alliance along with Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Australia’s chief diplomat Marise Payne.
The members of the quadrilateral alliance, created in 2007 but dormant for years until Biden decided to revive it a year ago, also addressed issues such as the international coercion of autocratic governments in the region.
