WASHINGTON –  Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Ukraine this week and meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This trip is part of the Biden administration’s efforts to prevent Russia from invading its neighbour.

Blinken will arrive in Kyiv Wednesday to meet Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytrokuleba. On Tuesday, the State Department announced that Blinken will meet with Zelenskyy and Dmytro Kuleba at Kyiv’s U.S. Embassy to share the plans for contingency should Russia decide to increase its aggression.

Blinken, speaking to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Tuesday ahead of his trip, reiterated Moscow’s calls to de-escalate tensions through reducing its military buildup near Ukraine’s frontier.

Blinken’s visit comes just after multiple high-stakes discussions between U.S. and European officials and their Russian counterparts. The Biden administration charged Russia with preparing “false flag operations” for use in the United States. a prelude for an invasion of Ukraine.

Russia denied making such preparations.

Jen Psaki (White House press secretary) stated that the activity pattern could indicate a Ukrainian ground invasion within 30 days. She said intelligence agencies who are closely monitoring Russian cyber operations against Ukraine believed it to be a sign.

This new timeline shows how likely the Biden administration considers a Russian attack on Ukraine imminent and the urgency of its efforts to reach a peaceful solution.

The Ukrainian government warned America and its European allies for months that Russian troops are advancing along the country’s eastern borders. Russia’s 2014 annexation and occupation of Crimea in 2014. This triggered international outrage that prompted a string of sanctions.

“We saw this playbook in 2014, and they are preparing this playbook again,”  national security advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at the White House last week, adding that the United States is “ready either way.”

The Kremlin previously denied it had been preparing for invasion.

Last month, President Joe Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin twice amid the significant military buildup on the Ukrainian border. Biden refused to answer the second call, Dec. 7. accept Putin’s “red lines” on UkraineThis includes the fact that it would not be permitted to join NATO’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

At the most recent meeting of leaders call, on Dec. 30, Biden reiterated concerns and renewed threats that his administration would “respond decisively” alongside allies and partners if Russia invades Ukraine.

Blinken, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock will meet him in Berlin on Thursday to discuss the joint effort to stop further Russian aggression towards Ukraine. Blinken will ask questions about the willingness of allies and partners to inflict severe economic and threatening consequences on Russia following an invasion.