DAY 1 TOUGH TALK
US, Russia meet
American and Russian officials said they were far apart Monday following initial negotiations in Geneva against the backdrop of Moscow’s massive buildup of troops along Ukraine’s border, but added that discussions would continue.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told reporters the American delegation pushed back against demands by Moscow “that are simply non-starters to the United States,” including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s insistence that the West not allow Ukraine and other former Soviet bloc nations to join NATO.
Requests denied
Putin is also seeking guarantees that the US and its European allies will not deploy forces or missile systems in Ukraine.
“We will not allow anyone to slam closed NATO’s open door policy, which has always been central to the NATO alliance,” Sherman said during a conference call at the conclusion of nearly six hours of talks. “We will not forgo bilateral cooperation with sovereign states that wish to work with the United States. And we will not make decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine, about Europe without Europe, or about NATO without NATO.”
Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denied that the Kremlin was prepared to invade its Western neighbor, claiming: “There is no reason to fear some kind of escalatory scenario.”
Ryabkov added that the “talks were difficult, long, very professional, deep, concrete, without attempts to gloss over some sharp edges. We had the feeling that the American side took the Russian proposals very seriously and studied them deeply.”
‘Stark choice’
Ryabkov went on to say that Moscow is resolved to ensure that Ukraine does not become a NATO member.
“We do not trust the other side, so to say,” he said. “We need iron-clad, waterproof, bulletproof, legally binding guarantees. Not assurances, not safeguards, guarantees with all the words ‘shall’, ‘must’, everything that should be put in, ‘never ever becoming a member of NATO’. It’s a matter of Russia’s national security.”
Sherman, meanwhile, echoed comments Secretary of State Antony Blinken made Sunday, saying that for the talks to progress, Russia must be willing to de-escalate military tensions with Ukraine.
“We’ve made it clear that if Russia further invades Ukraine there will be significant costs and consequences well beyond what they faced in 2014,” she said. “Russia has a stark choice to make.”
The amassing of more than 100,000 Russian troops on Ukraine’s eastern border — eight years after Russia illegally annexed Crimea and backed pro-separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, sparking fighting that has killed thousands — has led to a deterioration in the relationship between Moscow and Washington not seen since the end of the Cold War three decades ago.
The Geneva meeting is part of a flurry of diplomatic efforts that will continue through the week.With