Blinken: Putin’s Military Moves Have Reinforced, Unified NATO

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Russian President Vladimir Putin has unified NATO by gathering Russian military forces at the borders of Ukraine.

Anchor Dana Bash said, “What are the chances that Vladimir Putin is bluffing?”

Blinken said, “There’s always a chance, but every indication that we’ve seen, every move that he’s made that has followed the play we laid out for the world to see in front of the security council, he’s followed the script almost to the letter. I think while there’s always a chance, everything we’re seeing suggests that this is dead serious, that we are on the brink of an invasion. We will do everything we can to try to prevent it before it happens, but equally, we’re prepared, if he does follow through, to impose massive consequences, to defend— to provide for Ukraine’s ongoing defense and to bolster NATO.”

He added, “Here again, what is remarkable about this is President Putin will have precipitated everything he sought to prevent because all of this has only reinforced NATO, reinforced its solidarity, its commitment, and reinforced NATO on its eastern flank. I was in Munich with the leaders of our European partners, and I think all of us who have been doing this for many years have never seen a time when NATO has been more unified. I think going to further demonstrate that if Putin follows through with the invasion.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN