U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken following a NATO meeting on Friday said a diplomatic solution to the Russian military buildup on the Ukraine border is still possible and preferable, but that the alliance is prepared to respond forcefully to Russian aggression.
Blinken, speaking to reporters, accused Moscow of "gaslighting" with disinformation on Ukraine through its claims that the former Soviet republic is threatening Russia and seeks to provoke a conflict.
(Reporting by Simon Lewis, Doina Chiacu and Daphne Psaledakis)
