State Department orders staff family members out of Belarus.
The State Department reported that U.S. officials have received a written response from the Russian government to the American proposal on de-escalating Ukrainian border tensions. The letter came ahead of a telephone call scheduled for Tuesday between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and as an estimated 100,000 or more troops from Moscow are amassed at Ukraine’s border, raising concerns of an imminent Russian invasion.
An update on the phone call reveals that Minister Lavrov did not give an indication that Moscow will de-escalate from the border. The call was the latest diplomatic effort between the two sides.
A senior State Department official said the phone conversation between the two top diplomats lasted about 30 minutes and the tone was “professional and fairly candid.”
It is unclear whether Russia’s written response was delivered before or after Monday’s United Nations Security Council meeting, at which Russian and American officials had a tense exchange over the Ukraine crisis and nothing was resolved.
Meanwhile, the State Department ordered the family members of U.S. government staff in Belarus to evacuate, citing the “unusual and concerning Russian military buildup along Belarus’ border with Ukraine.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Blinken as he evaluates the situation in Eastern Europe.
- For State Department officials as they issue alerts and update travel advisories.
- For the president and his advisors to seek the Lord’s guidance regarding Russia and Ukraine.
Sources: Axios, CNN, NPR
