US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will brief European Union foreign ministers on Monday about his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
A senior EU official said in a briefing with journalists on Friday:
“The aim of this connection is to share with the European Union Foreign Ministers the latest on the dialogue between Russia and the United States. And, on the side of the EU, to share with Secretary Blinken, how we are advancing in our internal reflections.”
The EU foreign ministers will be meeting in Brussels in person and Blinken will join them virtually.
When asked about the EU and its member states’ reaction should Russia further invade Ukraine, the official was adamant:
“Reaction will be very quick. The reaction will be extremely clear.”
“The implementation of the sanctions depends on what kind of sanctions we agree. Some of them take more attention, some of them can be implemented instantly,” the senior EU official added. “Normally, most of the sanctions are enforced the very day of the publication. But again, we are talking about contingency planning. We are talking about something - that cross our fingers - will not be necessary to take.”
The official reiterated the bloc’s call for Russia to de-escalate.