Diplomatic meeting “next week” between Russia and the United States

The meeting in Geneva between the heads of Russian and American diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov and Antony Blinken, this Friday did not settle everything, far from it. But it is the first stone of a possible relaxation, after weeks where the tension has not stopped climbing on the Russian-Ukrainian border. If the tone was “frank and substantial”, according to Anthony Blinken, Sergei Lavrov noted that he and the American secretary of state were “agree that a reasonable dialogue (was) necessary” so that “the emotion falls “, after a little less than two hours of discussions. Still, the demands of the two powers are diametrically opposed.

For Washington, the prospect of a Russian military incursion into Ukraine is increasingly likely, with tens of thousands of troops deployed for weeks near its pro-Western neighbor. The head of American diplomacy asked Russia to prove that it had no intention of invading Ukraine. “A good way to do this is to bring back – to withdraw – its troops to the Ukrainian border,” he insisted.

A Putin-Biden summit to come?

The Kremlin denies any warmongering, but conditions a de-escalation on treaties guaranteeing the non-enlargement of NATO, in particular to Ukraine, and a withdrawal from the Alliance in Eastern Europe. Unacceptable, say the West, who threaten Russia with destructive sanctions in the event of an attack on Ukraine. Basically, “I don’t know if we are on the right track”, summarized Sergei Lavrov, while his counterpart thinks “that we are now on the right track to understand everyone’s concerns and positions”.

The pair have agreed to meet next week, and Anthony Blinken hasn’t ruled out a Joe Biden-Vladimir Putin summit. An idea that his Russian counterpart considered premature. A sign of the complexity of the situation, Russian diplomacy chose this Friday, the day of negotiations, to insist on a withdrawal of foreign troops from NATO countries from all the states that joined the Alliance after 1997, citing Bulgaria by name. and Romania. Unacceptable, replied the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, echoing the position of all members of the Alliance.

Moscow increases military exercises

For Moscow, the essential thing is to force a retreat from NATO, perceived as an existential threat and whose successive enlargements recall the humiliation of the fall of the USSR. For the Americans, a withdrawal from Europe is not a possibility, but the Biden administration says it is ready to discuss Russian fears for their safety.

One track would be to work on the defunct nuclear disarmament treaty signed during the Cold War and which former US President Donald Trump had buried. In the meantime, Moscow is displaying its military ambitions and power. Latest examples: military maneuvers in Belarus, just north of Ukraine, and major naval exercises announced in the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific and Mediterranean.

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