Ukraine-Russia Tensions: United States hold talks with Russian
3 min read
Following the military tension between Russia and Ukraine, the government of the United States and its allies has continued to threaten Russia with heavy sanctions should in case Russia tries to invade Ukraine. Russian has been building troops near the borders of Ukraine and therefore posing as threats as reported by CNN News.
The discussions today 21 January 2022 between the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were aimed at lowering tensions around the Ukraine borders.
Western powers especially the United States and Germany have repeatedly warned Russia against further aggressive moves against Ukraine. According to Russian Authorities, they are not planning to attack Ukraine but say that NATO support for Ukraine with an increase in the supply of weapons and military training constitutes as a threat against its territory.
The high-level talks between the officials of the United States and Russia in Geneva were to lower the tensions around the Ukraine borders. According to Aljazeera News, the discussions ended with no breakthroughs. “Armed with seemingly intractable and diametrically opposed demands, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met on Friday for roughly 90 minutes at what the former dubbed a “critical moment” in the crisis.” Aljazeera reported.
According to CNN News, the United States and NATO have described the movements and concentrations of troops in and around Ukraine as “unusual.”As many as 100,000 Russian troops have remained amassed at the Ukrainian border, despite warnings from US President Joe Biden and European leaders of serious consequences should Putin move ahead with an invasion. And US intelligence findings in December estimated that Russia could begin a military offensive in Ukraine “as soon as early 2022.”
At the end of the discussions today, both sides expressed intention for further discussions. Blinken made it clear that the discussions had put Moscow and Washington on a clear path towards understanding each other’s position. “It can choose the path of diplomacy that can lead to peace and security, or the path that will lead only to conflict, severe consequences and international condemnation, as re[ported by Aljazeera.
The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated “We’ve been clear – if any Russian military forces move across Ukraine’s border, that’s a renewed invasion. It will be met with a swift, severe and united response from the United States and our partners and allies,” while citing Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
According to Aljazeera News, Lavrov, for his part, said the ball was in Washington’s court as he called on the US to respond to Russia’s sweeping wishlist of security demands, which Moscow argues are essential for its own safety and the wider region’s stability. Speaking at a separate news conference as reported by Aljazeera, he described the meeting with Blinken as open and useful but said the Kremlin would not know whether talks were on the right track until it had received a written response to its proposals from the US, expected to be delivered next week.
As reported by BBC News, pro-Russian rebels control large parts of eastern Ukraine since a ferocious war erupted nearly eight years ago. Some 14,000 people were killed and at least two million fled their homes before fragile peace agreements were brokered.
Berinyuy Cajetan is the founder and publisher of Human Rights and Legal Research Centre (HRLRC) since 2017. He has intensive experience in strategic communications for Civil Society Organizations, campaign and advocacy, and social issues. He has an intensive experiencing in human rights monitoring, documentation and reporting.
