US State Sec Blinken tensed over Ethiopia military escalation, calls for urgent negotiations

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is greatly concerned about Ethiopia's military escalation and called for urgent negotiations over the crisis, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. "Secretary Blinken expressed grave concern about worrying signs of military escalation in Ethiopia and emphasised the need to urgently move to negotiations," Ned Price said in a statement late on Friday.

Price released the statement after a phone call between Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and Blinken.

(With inputs from agencies.)