Us-russia talks to kick off in Geneva
hold the much-anticipated discussions on European security and the Ukraine conflict in Geneva as Russia meets the NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, while the United States tries to assure the European allies that they will not be sidelined. On Sunday, the two sides separately stated their stance on the issues. While Russia ruled out any concession on soaring tensions over Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia needs to choose between dialogue and confrontation.“there’s a path of dialogue and diplomacy to try to resolve some of these differences...the other path is confrontation and massive consequences for Russia if it renews its aggression on Ukraine”, he said.
GENEVA/WASHINGTON: The United States and Russia opened talks on Sunday in Geneva on soaring tensions over Ukraine, with Moscow seeking a wide-ranging new security arrangement with the West but facing strong pressure to pull back troops.
The high-level discussions start a week of diplomacy in which Russia will meet with Nato and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), with the US trying to assure European allies they will not be sidelined.
Russia since late last year has amassed tens of thousands of troops at the Ukrainian border and demanded guarantees that Nato will not expand eastward or set up further bases in the former Soviet Union.
The United States, to be represented by deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman, agreed to talks even though it made plain that many of Moscow’s proposals are non-starters.
Originally scheduled to start on Monday, Sherman was due to have a working dinner with Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov on Sunday evening, said a state department spokesperson.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met his US counterpart Joe Biden in Geneva in June and agreed on regular “stability” talks between Sherman and Ryabkov, who will again lead the Russian delegation.
Russia strikes tough, pessimistic line on talks
Russia said on Sunday it would not make any concessions under US pressure at talks this week on the Ukraine crisis and its demands for Western security guarantees, and that there was a risk they might end quickly.
Talks are due in Geneva, Brussels and Vienna but the state-owned RIA news agency quoted Ryabkov as saying it was entirely possible that diplomacy could end abruptly after a single meeting.
“Naturally, we will not make any concessions under pressure and in the course of threats that are constantly being formed by the Western participants of the upcoming talks,” he was quoted as saying
US warns Russia of risk of ‘confrontation’
US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Sunday said Russia had to choose between dialogue and confrontation, ahead of talks in Geneva on soaring tensions over Ukraine.
“There’s a path of dialogue and diplomacy to try to resolve some of these differences and avoid a confrontation,” Blinken told CNN’S State of the Union show. “The other path is confrontation and massive consequences for Russia if it renews its aggression on Ukraine. We are about to test the proposition about which path President Putin is prepared to take.”
Blinken warned that any positive outcome would rely in part on Russia’s willingness to stand down from its aggressive posture, which he likened to “an atmosphere of escalation with a gun to Ukraine’s head”.