Calls All Signs That Russia Is On The Verge Of Invasion Of Ukraine, US Secretary Of State: We'll Do Everything We Can

JAKARTA - All signs suggest Russia is on the verge of an invasion of Ukraine, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday, but still vowed Washington would use every opportunity until the last minute to see if diplomacy would deter Moscow from moving forward.

Speaking on CNN's 'State of the Union' program, Secretary of State Blinken defended Washington's position that the deterrent effect of sanctions would be lost if they were triggered before the invasion despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's impassioned request on Saturday to release them.

"Everything we have seen shows that this is very serious, that we are on the verge of an invasion. We will do everything we can to try to prevent it before that happens," Blinken said, adding the West was equally prepared if Moscow attacked. February 21

"Until the tanks do launch, and the planes fly, we will seize every opportunity and every minute, we have to see if diplomacy can still deter President (Vladimir) Putin from continuing this," he continued.

Foreign Minister Blinken further said that his planned meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would still continue next week, as long as Moscow does not continue the invasion.

"President Joe Biden is also ready to engage with President Putin at any time, in any format if it can help prevent war," Blinken added.

Earlier, Western leaders had warned of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, estimating that more than 150,000 Russian troops had surrounded the country.

Meanwhile, Belarus's defense minister said his country and Russia were extending military drills that were due to end on Sunday. The decision to extend the exercise was made due to military activity near the Russian and Belarusian borders, as well as the escalation of the situation in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Washington has warned Russia could use false claims about the conflict in Ukraine's Donbass region, including reports of mass graves and allegations of chemical weapons production, to justify an invasion of the former Soviet republic.

Asked if the decision made him more worried about an invasion, Blinken replied: "Yes. All of this along with the false flag operations we saw exposed over the weekend tell us that the guidelines we are putting together are moving forward," he said.

Separately, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in an interview with broadcaster ABC warned of a "big toll" if Russia were to deploy the tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and rocket troops they have amassed on the Ukrainian border.

"You can see a large number of fighting forces moving very quickly right now to take Kiev. If he uses that kind of fighting force, it will definitely create huge casualties in the civilian population," explained Minister Austin.