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Moscow raises tension on Ukraine and warns Washington that it puts "European security" at risk

2022-01-10T18:52:18.508Z


The round of negotiations between the United States and Russia in Geneva ends without progress The Undersecretary of State, Wendy Sherman, and the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, this Monday in Geneva DENIS BALIBOUSE (REUTERS) The expectations about the talks held this Monday in Geneva between Washington and Moscow were not very optimistic on both sides and nothing that happened at the meeting altered the script. Russia's military pressure on the border with Ukraine, almos


The Undersecretary of State, Wendy Sherman, and the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, this Monday in Geneva DENIS BALIBOUSE (REUTERS)

The expectations about the talks held this Monday in Geneva between Washington and Moscow were not very optimistic on both sides and nothing that happened at the meeting altered the script. Russia's military pressure on the border with Ukraine, almost eight years after the annexation of Crimea, has sparked fears in both the United States and Europe, and the meeting has not lessened tension. The Kremlin has promised that it does not plan to intervene in the former Soviet republic, but has also warned the US Administration, in a threatening tone, not to seek a rapprochement with Russia, which involves reducing NATO's presence in eastern Europe. , is "a great mistake to the detriment of European security", in the words of the head of the Russian delegation, Sergei Ryabkov.

The Government of Joe Biden appeared at the meeting with an offer to discuss the deployment of missiles and the scope of military exercises in Europe, in addition to warning of strong economic sanctions, "much tougher" than those applied by the annexation of Crimea in 2014, if Russian President Vladimir Putin launches an intervention in Ukraine. The requests raised by Russia in a document weeks ago, however, "are the opposite of starting points," said Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman. The Kremlin demands legal guarantees that NATO will not strengthen itself on Russia's European borders, especially Ukraine's, and that the Atlantic Alliance also assumes “the obligation to prevent an expansion of NATO to other states [ from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus or Central Asia],including the accession of Ukraine ”.

The Russian diplomat made a statement in a very harsh tone. "If this does not happen [the Western concessions], then the issue will be analyzed taking into account all sectors," said Ryabkov, who then launched the following reflection: "Without anticipating anything, without anticipating events, I can say that really I would not like to face a situation in which the NATO countries, led by the United States, make such a mistake and act again to the detriment of both their own security and the entire European continent.

No country, Sherman responded on Monday, "will dictate the foreign policy of another," nor can it prohibit him from "weaving alliances." The Undersecretary of State regretted that Russia had not taken any steps to stop the escalation of tension, a "de-escalation", she said, which involves withdrawing "all the soldiers" concentrated on the border and returning them to "their barracks."

The most positive note from the round of meetings on Monday, which lasted for eight hours, is that the diplomatic channel is not dead and that both governments want to continue talking. The talks will continue at the multilateral level throughout the week. On Wednesday the NATO-Russia Council will meet in Brussels and on Thursday a session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is scheduled in Vienna. Even so, the Russian diplomat warned that the success or failure of the negotiations will not be a matter of months, but of days.

"Russia's position is tough, not an ultimatum," Ryabkov added.

Russia wants NATO to return to its 1997 limits and resign from members that joined later.

That year, the then Secretary General, Javier Solana, and the Russian Foreign Minister, Yevgueni Primakov, signed the Founding Act of Mutual Cooperation, which allowed the expansion of NATO without conflict.

This was followed by the accession of all current space to eastern Germany, including Poland, Romania and the Baltic countries.

Ryabkov said there is no reason for the United States to fear an escalation around Ukraine, along whose borders Russia deployed more than 100,000 troops in the final months of last year.

"We have no intention of invading Ukraine," said the senior official.

In Kiev, they are concerned about the future after the negotiations.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wanted to "call things by name" on Twitter a few hours before the meeting.

Putin demands that the United States, NATO and the European Union accept Russia's sphere of influence over neighboring states.

But the Cold War is over and with it the spheres of influence, "said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.

Let's call a spade a spade.

Putin demands the US, NATO & the EU to accept Russia's sphere of influence over sovereign neighboring states.

But the Cold War is over, and so are spheres of influence.

Putin's demands are illegitimate and harmful to international peace and security.

- Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) January 9, 2022

Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Ukraine's defense minister in 2019 and 2020, and currently an advisor to the president, Volodímir Zelenski, told EL PAÍS on Skype that any concession from Washington "will only make the situation worse and the red lines go further."

"It would be a big mistake to give in to Russia right now because it would be seen as a sign of America's weakness," said Zagorodnyuk, who also chairs the Center for Defense Strategies.

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-01-10

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