U.S. will prevent Russian aggression in Ukraine: Blinken

On a visit to Kyiv to show support for Ukraine, the top U.S. diplomat said on Wednesday (January 19) Ukrainians should prepare for difficult days.

He said Washington would keep providing defense assistance to Kyiv and renewed a promise of severe sanctions against Russia in the event of a new invasion.

The Kremlin said tension around Ukraine was increasing and it was still waiting for a written U.S. response to its sweeping demands for security guarantees from the West.

The pessimistic statements highlighted the gulf between Washington and Moscow as Blinken gears up for a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday that a Russian foreign policy analyst called "probably the last stop before the train wreck."

Blinken promised "relentless diplomatic efforts to prevent renewed aggression and to promote dialog and peace." He said a Russian build-up of tens of thousands of troops near the Ukrainian border was taking place with "no provocation, no reason."