US Secretary of State Antony Blinken believes that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is still possible during the Beijing Olympics.

"We are in a window where an invasion could begin at any time and to be very clear, that includes the time of the Olympics," Blinken said at a news conference in Australia on Friday.

The United States continued to observe worrying signs of a Russian escalation, including fresh troop deployments on the border with Ukraine.

Till Fähnders

Political correspondent for Southeast Asia.

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Blinken made the remarks Friday after a meeting of the foreign ministers of America, Australia, India and Japan in Melbourne, Australia.

The four ministers of the "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" (Quad) had previously spoken out jointly against "coercion" in international relations.

The four member states usually use this term to describe China's power behavior in the Indo-Pacific region, which some countries in the region increasingly perceive as a threat.

"They look at us as we respond"

Blinken said after the meeting that an invasion of Ukraine could also have consequences for the Indo-Pacific.

Allowing the principles of rules-based order to be challenged with impunity will have repercussions in that region, "even if it's on the other side of the world."

Blinken went on to say, "Others are watching, others are also looking at us to see how we respond." This comment was taken as alluding to a possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

Earlier, Blinken said in a television interview that a confrontation with China was "not inevitable".

There are certainly differences among the four member countries of the Quad in the perception of the current geopolitical challenges.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar blocked a journalist's question about Ukraine.

"This meeting is focused on the Indo-Pacific, you should be aware of the geography," Jaishankar said.

India has already made its position on Ukraine clear in the UN Security Council.

New Delhi has good relations with Russia, which supplies much of India's arms.

This shows how much the cohesion of the Quad is mainly driven by concerns about China.

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison also expressed gratitude for the support Australia had received when it was under pressure at a meeting with foreign ministers.

This also meant China, which had taken unofficial punitive measures against Australia.

Foreign Minister Blinken was clearer: "We share concerns that China has been more repressive at home and more aggressive in the region - and potentially beyond - in recent years."