Status: 10.01.2022 3:30 p.m.
In Geneva, the US and Russia began talks on the tensions over Ukraine – the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister had previously predicted difficult negotiations. NATO is also dampening expectations.
The diplomatic crisis talks between the US and Russia over the recent tensions surrounding Ukraine have begun. US Deputy Foreign Minister Wendy Sherman met in Geneva for an official round of talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. The meeting will take place in the US embassy. The focus is on the Russian build-up of troops on the border with Ukraine and Moscow’s demand for security guarantees from NATO.
Around noon, Sherman said on Twitter that it had been made clear “that we cannot discuss European security without our allies and partners.”
Before the talks, Ryabkov had told Russian state television that the US side had to be prepared for compromises. Russia has formulated clear positions, even at the highest level, from which “it can no longer simply be deviated from”.
“Complicated Discussion”
The talks are part of the “strategic security dialogue” announced by US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the summer. After an informal working lunch on Sunday, Ryabkov had predicted difficult negotiations and spoke of a “complicated discussion”. A US State Department spokesman said Sherman had stressed the US’s commitment to the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. In addition, each country has the right to decide for itself which alliance it wants to belong to. Incidentally, the US would welcome progress through diplomacy.
The Ria Novosti news agency quoted Ryabkov today as saying that he feared that Washington would not take Moscow’s call for an end to NATO’s eastward expansion seriously. Referring to the NATO decision of 2008 to offer Ukraine and Georgia the prospect of accession, he asked: “Are you ready to give legal guarantees that this country, like other countries, will not join NATO?” His prognosis is rather pessimistic.
NATO rejects guarantees
Russia wants assurances that NATO will not expand further east and a withdrawal of US nuclear weapons from Europe. The West is worried that the Russian government is preparing a new invasion of the neighboring country after the annexation of Crimea – according to western estimates, Russia has gathered around 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine.
NATO rejects formal guarantees. The US regards the Russian deployment of troops as an aggressive act and is demanding Russian steps to de-escalate it.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said that from Washington’s point of view neither a withdrawal of US troops from Eastern Europe nor a promise not to expand NATO were under negotiation. US officials have shown it as possible that the future stationing of certain missiles in Ukraine could be reduced. In addition, US and NATO military exercises in Eastern Europe could be limited. For this, however, Russia would have to give up Ukraine, demand US representatives.
Stoltenberg promises Ukraine support
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meanwhile again assured Ukraine of support. Before consulting with the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Stefanischina in Brussels, he said that the military alliance would continue to support the country on the path to NATO membership. Kiev has “the right to defend itself” and NATO will help the Ukrainian government with this.
At the same time, Stoltenberg dampened expectations of the various formats for talks with Russia this week: “It is unrealistic to believe that all problems will be resolved by the end of the week,” he said. But he very much hoped that there was a real will on both sides to participate in a process that could prevent a new armed conflict in Europe. “We hope that we can agree on how to proceed, that we can agree on a series of meetings, that we can agree on the process.”
The meeting of the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Russia and the USA ushered in a week of intensive discussions on the situation in Ukraine. A meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels is planned for Wednesday and a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on Thursday.