Rejects calls to impose immediate sanctions because it would ‘undercut deterrence’

  • Blinken did a Sunday news show blitz after a week of negotiations in Europe
  • He ruled out sanctioning Russia before it ran afoul of the West’s warnings despite Ukrainian officials claiming economic penalties after an invasion are useless 
  • The US’s chief diplomat also wouldn’t say if Kyiv was safe in the short term
  • Talks between him and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Friday saw no breakthroughs but both sides agreed to keep talking