Russia on Sunday ruled out any “concession” ahead of negotiations with the United States in Geneva on Ukraine, as Moscow seeks a broader deal on security in Europe and the West presses for a deal. withdrawal of Russian troops.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said before the start of the meeting in Geneva that the Kremlin was “disappointed” by the signals coming from both Washington and Brussels, where NATO’s headquarters are located.
“We will not accept any concessions. It is completely ruled out,” he told Russian agencies Riabkov, who is part of the negotiating team.
The high-level meeting marks the start of a week-long diplomatic marathon, during which Russia will meet with NATO as well as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
In this series of meetings, the United States wants to assure its European allies that it will not stand aside in the negotiations.
Tensions have escalated since Russia began deploying tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border in exchange for assurances that NATO will not continue to expand into its borders.
For Moscow, one of the key issues is that Ukraine never enters the Atlantic military pact, which Kiev wants to join.
The United States will be represented by Undersecretary Wendy Sherman, but Washington has already warned that many of Moscow’s proposals are inadmissible.
The dialogue officially begins on Monday, but Sherman will have a working dinner with Riabkov this Sunday, according to the State Department.
US diplomacy chief Antony Blinken has rejected many of Moscow’s demands and warned that it will be difficult for dialogue to progress as long as Russia has “a gun to Ukraine’s head”.
“We are ready to respond with force to a new Russian aggression. But a diplomatic solution is still possible, and preferable, if Russia chooses it,” Blinken said on Friday.
In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with US President Joe Biden in Geneva and the two agreed to establish a regular dialogue led by Sherman and Riabkov.
In two phone conversations, Biden warned Putin that if he invaded Ukraine, the consequences would be harsh.
Among the measures being considered are sanctions against the Russian president’s inner circle, the cancellation of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to supply Germany and, in a more drastic scenario, a blocking of Russia’s ties to the financial system.
A senior US official, who requested anonymity, warned that if there was an attack from Moscow, Washington would send a larger contingent to NATO countries along the Russian border, such as Poland and the Baltic states.
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