Blinken competes with top Russian official in Indonesia

By MATTHEW LEE
AP Diplomatic Writer

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Indonesia to find a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin already in Jakarta for security talks. Just a day after issuing a stern new warning to Russia over Ukraine, Blinken began a 48-hour visit to Indonesia with his plane parking in the shadow of that of Putin’s national security adviser Nikolay Patrushev. Shortly before Blinken landed, the Russian embassy in Jakarta announced Patrushev’s visit. Blinken arrived from a Group of Seven foreign ministers meeting in England, at which he and his counterparts told Russia on Sunday to “de-escalate” its military buildup near the Ukrainian border. The G7 ministers warned that a Russian invasion would have “massive consequences and severe costs.”