Moscow declared that the talks were “not successful”, stressing that it “would not allow it to be held responsible for possible provocations around Ukraine,” while America threatened economic sanctions and a strong response to the possibility of an invasion of Ukraine.
Russia is demanding security guarantees that would prevent the United States and NATO from expanding eastward into areas the Kremlin considers to be within its sphere of influence.
open scenarios
The academic specializing in international affairs, Samir Al-Kashef, said that all scenarios are possible after the failure of the diplomatic talks, especially in light of Moscow’s rejection of a second round of negotiations.
Al-Kashef added to “Sky News Arabia” that Russia will not make any concessions, and went to negotiations to calm the West temporarily, but the scenario of annexing the Crimea is possible, pointing out that the current number of forces is not sufficient, and if any new numbers are detected, it is a complete preparation for war.
He explained that Moscow is desperate to defend the Black Sea region, as it is an important lung in which it achieves many economic interests in the fields of energy, trade and economy, and what is currently happening comes after American attempts to compete with Russia in the region.
On the West’s support for Ukraine, he indicated that it would be moral without forces on the ground, and the West has no choice but to use sanctions, whether by separating the Russian banking system from the international rapid payment system or measures targeting the Russian sovereign wealth fund, as well as placing restrictions on banks that convert rubles into currencies. There is also a pressure card represented in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
possible escalation
After the talks, Russia threatened to escalate after the “failure” of its negotiations with the West, stressing that it “will not allow it to be held responsible for possible provocations around Ukraine.”
“The United States and its NATO allies are not ready to meet Moscow’s basic demands for security guarantees,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with Russia’s RTVI television.
Ryabkov pointed out that “Russia sees no reason to hold a new round of talks with Western countries in the coming days regarding Moscow’s demands for security guarantees.”
War is at hand
In turn, the US envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that the West should prepare for the possibility of an escalation of tension with Moscow, after talks with Russia.
And Michael Carpenter added during a press conference, that the United States will not accept areas of influence or restrictions on the rights of countries to choose their alliances, in reference to Russia’s demands that NATO stop expanding to the east.
For her part, the Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Helga Schmid said at the beginning of the permanent council meeting, “The situation in the region is dangerous, and it is necessary to find a way, through diplomatic channels, to stop the escalation and start rebuilding confidence, transparency and cooperation,” stressing the “need of urgency for dialogue.
In turn, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau said: “It seems that the threat of war in the OSCE region has never been as high as it is now, during the last thirty years,” adding, “It is a great challenge for the organization that aims specifically to ban war.” From Europe”.
Reuters quoted an unnamed US official as saying that Russia had begun preparing for the invasion of Ukraine, and some parties were falsifying the facts about Kiev’s provocations to justify the invasion.
Troops return to their barracks
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow was not even ready to discuss the “unacceptable” US demands for the return of its forces on our soil to their barracks.
Moscow alarmed Kiev and the West by massing troops near Ukraine, prompting fears that it was considering an invasion of its neighbour.
Western reports indicate that nearly 100,000 Russian soldiers are stationed within the military buildup near the Ukrainian border, but estimates confirm that if Moscow intends to launch a full attack, so that it controls the entire Ukrainian territory, it will at least need to double this number of soldiers.
US sanctions
As the talks failed, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan threatened Russia with harsh economic measures if it decided to invade Ukraine.
Sullivan said, in a press statement, “It is not clear to us whether Russia has decided to take the military course, and there is no specific date for the resumption of talks with Russia.”
He added that the possibility of Russia launching a military invasion of Ukraine remains strong, and economic sanctions are at the center of the potential package of sanctions targeting Russia.
“We believe diplomacy is the only reasonable decision, the Russians need to assess the situation, and sanctions against Russia are only one part of what we and our allies can do about the possibility of an invasion of Ukraine.”
.