Blinken meets Ukraine official, warns Russia on natgas supplies

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks on the Havana Syndrome, which U.S. officials refer to as "anomalous health incidents", in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the State Department in Washington, DC, U.S. November 5, 2021. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is watching for signs that Russia may be using energy as a political tool in Europe's energy crunch, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, adding that Washington was committed to take appropriate action, along with Germany, if Moscow were to take that path.

Blinken and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba met at the State Department and signed a charter on a strategic partnership. Discussions focused on Ukraine's neighbor, Russia, which Kuleba said was already using gas supplies as a weapon.