Ukraine crisis: Russia does not want to make concessions – politics

One day before the official talks on a solution to the Ukraine crisis began, Russia refused concessions under pressure from the USA. It is quite possible that the discussions will end quickly, said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on Sunday, according to the RIA news agency. The first meeting should already be planned for Sunday evening, the central discussions are scheduled for Monday. A meeting of the NATO-Russia Council will also take place on Wednesday.

The US and its allies are ready to talk to Russia about restricting military maneuvers in Eastern Europe. According to US government circles, they are unwilling to talk about limiting the stationing or deployment of US troops in NATO countries in the region. Russia, on the other hand, is demanding security guarantees from the West and protests against further eastward expansion of NATO, while Ukraine is seeking membership in the Western military alliance.

“Of course, we will not make any concessions under pressure and in the wake of threats that are repeatedly voiced by the Western participants,” said Ryabkov. “I can’t rule out anything,” he said, looking at a possible abrupt end to the deliberations after the first meeting. “That is an absolutely possible scenario, and the Americans (…) should not have any illusions about it.” He had already expressed disappointment at the signals from the USA. The United States continued to insist on unilateral concessions from Russia. Russia is not optimistic about the deliberations.

A senior US government official had declared that reciprocal restrictions on the stationing of missiles were also possible. “Both sides would have to make essentially the same commitments.” It was also said that the threatened economic sanctions in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine would have been high from the start. The US was not betting on a gradual escalation, but on immediate massive retaliation. The financial system and civil aviation would be affected, among other things.

In a phone call with journalists, the government employee had dampened expectations of the talks with Russia. The talks, which will be serious and concrete, are exploratory. He said he would not be surprised if the Russian side spread false reports about US concessions in order to “create a division among the allies.”

100,000 Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine

The situation in Ukraine has been tense for weeks. Russia has gathered around 100,000 soldiers on its border. The government in Kiev and western states fear that this could serve to prepare for a Russian invasion of Ukraine. The government in Moscow rejects this. It has been supporting the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine for years and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated on Saturday that it is important to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Any further aggression by Russia will result in a serious reaction, he said, according to his ministry.

The US delegation is headed by Vice Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, while Moscow represents Vice Minister Sergei Ryabkov. A meeting of the NATO-Russia Council is scheduled for January 12 in Brussels – the first in two and a half years. Thereafter there will be talks in Vienna on January 13th within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

In Ukraine, there was at least one demonstration before the negotiations in Geneva. The organizers of the protest in the capital Kiev called on the West to say “no” to the ultimatum given by Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian daily reported The On your webpage.

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