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US President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan: "Russia Has an Opportunity to Come to the Table"
Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP
After crisis talks between Russia and Western countries, the United States again warned Moscow against a further escalation in the Ukraine conflict. US President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Thursday with a view to the Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine: "It is certainly the case that the risk of a military invasion is high." So far, however, the secret services have been failed to come to the conclusion "that the Russians have finally decided to take military action in Ukraine."
Sullivan called on Moscow to de-escalate and reduce troops in the area.
The US security advisor said: "We and our allies are prepared for any eventuality." This applies both to diplomatic negotiations and in the event that Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks military escalation.
"We have made Russia very clear about the costs and consequences of further military action or of destabilizing Ukraine," Sullivan said.
He again threatened Moscow with economic and financial sanctions, export control measures and an armament of Ukraine "if the Russian military crosses the Ukrainian border".
Representatives of the 30 NATO countries and Russia held talks on Wednesday for the first time in two and a half years - about the Ukraine conflict and security guarantees that Moscow is demanding from the transatlantic military alliance.
There was also a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday.
A high-level meeting of representatives of Russia and the United States was held in Geneva on Monday.
No new dates for talks with Russia
Sullivan said, "The talks were frank and direct, they were useful." The US would now consult with its allies on how to proceed.
There are currently no dates for new talks with Russia.
"As things stand at the moment, Russia has the opportunity to come to the table." Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov had previously said that after the diplomatic crisis of the past few days, he saw no need for further talks for the time being.
Referring to the possible stationing of Russian troops in Cuba and Venezuela, Sullivan said: "If Russia were to move in this direction, we would act decisively." He did not give details.
The government in Moscow had not ruled out such a step if talks on binding security guarantees failed.
In view of a massive Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine, the West is concerned that Russia is currently preparing to invade the neighboring country after annexing Crimea in 2014.
The Kremlin categorically rejects this.
At the same time, he is demanding agreements from the USA and NATO that would ban the eastward expansion of NATO and the establishment of US military bases in countries in the former Soviet sphere of influence.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the West has promised written answers to Moscow's demands next week.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin assured his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiy Reznikov in a phone call of the "unwavering support of the United States for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including ongoing efforts to bolster the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces through defensive support."
A spokesman for Austin emphasized that the Russian troop deployment on the border continues to cause great concern to the United States.
cop/dpa/AFP