{O/C}
The United States and Russia today concluded high-stakes security talks in Geneva over a Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border, with no progress yielded.
{SOT}
The upshot of the high-stakes security talks between the United States and Russia over a Russian troops build-up on the Ukrainian border is scarcely astounding, as no signs of progress from both sides match low expectations prior to the meeting.
On the heels of the high-stakes security talks in Geneva, neither side characterised the candid talks as an utter failure. What's more, neither side offered any prospect of easing the increasingly worrisome standoff on the Ukrainian border.
NED PRICE, U.S. State Department Spokesperson: We did not intend this to be a forum where certainly decisions were reached, where any breakthroughs could be achieved, or really even contemplated.
Today, the crystal ball remains clouded as Russian soldiers standing near the Ukrainian border are armed to the teeth, which is seen by the West as a grave threat to European security.
Despite the sword of Damocles hanging over Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin is not backing down. Instead, he is actively seeking to wrest a battery of concessions from the U.S. and its steadfast Western allies, in addition to massing an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine.
With that, a military intervention by Russian troops is plausible.
Earlier, Putin had described NATO's expansion to Ukraine and other former Soviet states as a "red line", demanding binding guarantees from the West that they do not intend to become members of the alliance.
Meantime, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO said today negotiating under duress is certainly not conducive to any lasting agreements.
IVO DAALDER, Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO: Ultimately, we can't have a negotiation in which the gun is not only pointed at the head of Ukraine, but also caught and ready to go off. We don't need negotiations that take place in those kinds of environments, usually aren't very good for lasting agreements.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, said the U.S. remains adamant it will not make a stab at plans that are doomed to bite the dust. She added Washington will not forgo bilateral cooperation with sovereign states that are willing to play by the rules.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia made it crystal clear today Russia had no intention to invade Ukraine. A claim of which the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. is sceptical.
Last week, U.S. President Joe Biden's administration sent a stern warning to Russia to consider all the ramifications of a Ukraine invasion as tensions between the two countries escalated.
With talks now enmeshed in such a parlous state, the vagaries of a possible Ukraine invasion make for one uncertain future for Ukraine that remains hanging in the balance.
Comments