Blinken says ‘a single additional Russian force’ entering Ukraine would trigger US response

CNN

By Natasha Bertrand and Devan Cole, CNN

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday doubled down on his warning against a Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying “a single additional Russian force” entering Ukraine “in an aggressive way” would result in a severe response by the US and its allies.

“If a single additional Russian force goes into Ukraine in an aggressive way, as I said, that would trigger a swift, a severe and a united response from us and from Europe,” Blinken told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

The comments from the secretary further clarify the US’ position on any additional aggressive military action by Russia after the country amassed tens of thousands of troops of its border with Ukraine. Though US officials have been issuing warnings to Russia in recent days, President Joe Biden muddled the message of severe consequences last week, saying at a news conference that a “minor incursion” might not trigger the same response from NATO as an invasion.

The President later clarified that any Russian troops crossing Ukraine’s border would constitute an invasion, and Blinken, following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week, also warned that any Russian invasion of Ukraine would be “met with a severe and a united response.”

This story is breaking and will be updated.

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