WASHINGTON, February 13. /TASS/. The response of Western countries in case of a hypothetical Russian invasion of Ukraine will be swift, united and severe, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the press conference after the trilateral meeting with Foreign Ministers of the Republic of Korea and Japan.

"I spoke by phone last night with Russian Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov, where I raised our serious concerns that Moscow may be considering launching a military attack against Ukraine in the coming days," the US top diplomat said.

"I also underscored that if Moscow chooses the path of aggression and further invades Ukraine, the response of the United States and our allies will be swift. It will be united, it will be severe," Blinken noted.

The West and Kiev have recently been spreading allegations about Russia’s potential ‘invasion’ of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded", serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such allegations and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.

The diplomatic path for settlement of the situation around Ukraine is open and the United States urges Russia to deescalate, Blinken said.

"I made clear as President [Joe] Biden did today in his conversation with President [Vladimir] Putin that a diplomatic path to resolving this crisis, a crisis created by the unprovoked massing of Russian forces all around Ukraine, that diplomatic path remains open. The way for Moscow to show that it wants to pursue that path is simple. It should deescalate rather than escalate and it should not only talk about seeking a diplomatic outcome but actually work toward one," Blinken said.

The US will be ready for interaction together with allies and partners after receiving the Russia’s response to the document sent to Moscow more than two years ago and outlining specific areas for discussion, he added.

The West and Kiev have recently been spreading allegations about Russia’s potential ‘invasion’ of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded", serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such allegations and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.