Russian and American officials met in Switzerland when the focus of the talks was the geopolitical crisis on the Ukrainian border.
The recent threat of war between the two powers may drop significantly after the parties first negotiated to try and find a solution to a conflict that further threatens a Russian military invasion of its southeastern neighbor, Ukraine.
The Biden administration was represented by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who met in Geneva with her Russian counterpart Sergei Ryabkov.
"The talks are guaranteed to be long and substantial," Putin's delegation tweeted.
"The United States will listen to Russia's concerns and share our concerns," Sherman responded.
Recall, in the last weeks of last year, Russia began sending troops in the amount of about one hundred thousand troops to the border area, a move that was interpreted in Kiev as a threat to its sovereignty from a possible invasion in the near future.
On the other hand, the US and Europe warned Moscow and stressed that it would protect Ukrainian ally and President Vladimir Zalanski's government (43).
As expected, relations between Russia and the West escalated in a process of polarization which reminded many of the balance of power which defined the period of the Cold War.
However, it appears that the virtual summit held in late December between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin managed to lower the level of tension between the two and paved the way for the start of negotiations.
In the same conversation, which lasted about 50 minutes, Biden warned Putin that Washington would impose sanctions on Moscow, while the Russian president replied that such a move would "collapse relations."
Yesterday's meeting was held against the background of another crisis in a satellite state of the former Soviet Union: Kazakhstan.
Putin also sent troops there and declared victory over the popular uprising that threatened to overthrow President Qasim Tokayev's government.
"We have succeeded in preventing the undermining of the foundations of the state, the complete deterioration of the internal situation in Kazakhstan, and blocking terrorists, criminals, looters and other criminal elements," Putin concluded during a virtual convention of the Commonwealth of Nations (CSTO).
The round of talks between diplomats Russia and the West is expected to continue this week in Brussels and Vienna.
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