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US Deputy Foreign Minister Wendy Sherman, Russian counterpart Sergei Ryabkov in Geneva
Photo: Alexey Vitvitsky / imago images / SNA
The meeting of American and Russian negotiators on the Ukraine crisis ended on Monday in Geneva after almost eight hours. As expected, there was no breakthrough in the negotiations.
The US would have offered disarmament talks, among other things, if Russia took the same steps, said US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
Such talks could take place, for example, within the framework of the Russia-NATO Council, which will meet in Brussels on Wednesday.
It was made clear that she was ready to discuss conflict issues such as limiting maneuvers or deploying missiles, Sherman said.
She again rejected calls by Russia for guarantees for an end to NATO's eastward expansion.
"However, we have resolutely opposed security proposals that are simply out of the question for the United States." One would not forego bilateral cooperation with sovereign states that want to cooperate with the United States.
In addition, the USA would not make a decision on Ukraine, Europe or NATO without first clarifying this with those affected.
Sherman threatened Russia again with massive consequences in the event of a military escalation in the Ukraine crisis.
Russia describes the situation as "not hopeless"
Her Russian counterpart Sergei Ryabkov assured that Russia had "no intentions to attack Ukraine" and described the situation as "not hopeless".
"The conversation was difficult, but very professional, profound and concrete," said Ryabkov.
Moscow had also made it clear that progress had to be made with regard to essential demands.
These included an end to NATO's eastward expansion and the withdrawal of the Western military alliance from stationing offensive weapons near the Russian borders.
Russia will not abandon these demands.
A decision on further steps and perspectives could only be made in the next few days, said Ryabkov.
A meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels is scheduled for Wednesday - the first in two and a half years.
Thereafter there will be talks in Vienna on Thursday within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Russian troops march on the border with Ukraine
The meeting took place in the face of a massive Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine.
In the west there is fear of an invasion of Russian troops.
Russia, on the other hand, says it feels threatened by the presence of US troops and weapons in Europe.
The Russian government is demanding security guarantees from NATO, including a guaranteed stop to NATO's eastward expansion and a withdrawal of US weapons and troops from the region.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged NATO on Monday not to make any concessions.
"The Cold War is over, so are spheres of influence," he wrote on Twitter.
Ukraine fears a Russian invasion.
Russia denies such plans.
more on the subject
Troop deployment on the border with Ukraine: Now the negotiators are talking about Biden and Putin, Christina Hebel and Roland Nelles
Troop deployment near Ukraine: Selensky prefers to fight the oligarchs than against Putin Christian Esch reports from Kiev
Russia's troop deployment on the Ukrainian border: party mood and fear of war Lina Verschwele reports from Kiev
Stoltenberg warns of military aggression against Ukraine
Meanwhile, the NATO-Ukraine Commission met in Brussels to prepare the first meeting of the NATO-Russia Council since mid-2019 this Wednesday.
The Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Olga Stefanischina rated this as a "strong demonstration by the Allies of their unwavering and ongoing support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine".
In a statement with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, she said that Russia is not entitled to the "aggressor" to make demands.
Stoltenberg warned Russia again against an invasion.
Any further aggression would come at a high political and economic price.
In this case, the USA is threatening sanctions that eclipse the measures taken against Russia after the annexation of the Ukrainian Black Sea Peninsula in 2014.
Kiev sees itself at war with the neighboring country.
The background to this is Moscow's support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine.
slü / dpa / AFP / Reuters