 Biden wants to avoid direct conflict with Russia over Ukraine. Since the very outset of the Ukrainian crisis, U.S. President Joe Biden has been trying to avoid a direct conflict with Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Antonin Blinken said, at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy. From day one, President Biden had two North stars in mind. One was to make sure that we are doing everything we possibly can to support Ukraine and to bring other countries along to the same thing. But the other is also to avoid being in direct conflict with Russia, because the potential where that conflict could go is not a place that anyone wants to be and not a place that's good for the security of the American people, Blinken said during the conversation broadcast live by the Department of State's website. The top U.S. diplomat reiterated that it was up to the Kiev government to decide on its combat operations, but in his words, Washington has never encouraged strikes beyond Ukraine's borders. In his opinion, the best way to stop hostilities would be to strengthen Kiev's positions. Russia has repeatedly expressed its stance regarding the conflict in Ukraine at various levels. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that Moscow has always been and remained open for a diplomatic solution of the crisis and is ready to respond to truly serious proposals, while the Kiev regime cut and prohibited all negotiations with Russia.