The Ukraine Situation Isn't Going Away (cont’d from Friday)

🇺🇸🇷🇺 Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Russian counterpart on Friday to discuss the situation in Ukraine, where Moscow has deployed ~100,000 troops to surround the country on three sides.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters after the 90-minute meeting that his country has no plans to attack Ukraine, though Blinken said the US is skeptical of that claim.
• On Saturday, the UK government said it exposed a Russian plot to install a friendly leader in Ukraine, supporting an earlier US assessment suggesting Moscow is planning a "false-flag operation" that would give President Vladimir Putin the pretext to invade.
• Germany, the largest buyer of Russian gas in the world, is reportedly blocking NATO ally Estonia from sending weapons to Ukraine, per the WSJ.
• The US is currently seeking a German commitment to block operation of the Russian-built Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline in the event of Russian aggression.

+Breaking: The State Department published a travel advisory Sunday evening instructing the families of diplomats in Ukraine and some embassy staff to leave the country. It also recommended all US citizens consider leaving ASAP.

+Go deeper: From the Left | From the Right | Friday's DONUT