Live: Invading Ukraine was Putin's 'plan all along', Washington says
An invasion of Ukraine was Russian President Vladimir Putin's plan "all along", the US's top diplomat said, calling off a scheduled meeting with his Russian counterpart.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Tuesday that Putin's "plan all along has been to invade Ukraine, to control Ukraine and its people, to destroy Ukraine's democracy."
He also announced that a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, scheduled on 24 February has been cancelled, arguing Moscow is not serious about diplomacy.
"It does not make sense to go forward with that meeting at this time. I consulted with our allies and partners, all agreed," he said.
It comes after the US, UK, and EU unveiled sanctions against Russian individuals and entities on Tuesday in response to Putin's recognition of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic — two separatist-held areas in eastern Ukraine — and his announcement that troops would be sent in on "peacekeeping duties."
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