• Antony Blinken has arrived in Switzerland for crunch talks with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov 
  • Blinken said US remains ‘committed to diplomacy’ over Ukraine, but stands ready to respond if Russia invades
  • Lavrov said he wants ‘concrete’ responses to Moscow’s demands, including that Ukraine is banned from NATO
  • Both sides say they are not anticipating a breakthrough, but there are fears that complete failure of diplomacy could prompt Putin to invade and trigger the most-serious East-West confrontation since the Cold War 

The US has warned of a ‘united, swift and severe’ response if Putin invades Ukraine as Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived for talks with his Russian counterpart in Switzerland today.

Blinken, arriving at the Geneva hotel where the crunch talks are now taking place, said Washington is ‘committed to a path of diplomacy’ for resolving border tensions between Russian and its ex-Soviet neighbour.

But he added that America stands ready with a ‘united, swift and severe’ response if Moscow invades. ‘This is a critical moment,’ he said.

Both sides said they are not expecting a ‘breakthrough’ today, though there are fears that a complete failure of diplomacy could spark a Russian attack and the most-serious East-West confrontation since the Cold War.

Lavrov stressed ahead of the talks that Moscow is expecting a ‘concrete’ response to its security demands, including that Ukraine be banned from joining NATO.