Secretary of state was speaking during trip to Fiji as the US seeks to stem China’s influence in the Pacific region
The US government used its first trip to Fiji by a secretary of state in almost 40 years to warn Russia to back off Ukraine.
Antony Blinken told reporters in Fiji he would speak to his Russian counterpart, the foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, to advise that the US was prepared for either diplomacy or “aggression” and warned of economic sanctions in the event of an invasion.
