A customer wears a protective mask inside a cafe as the television screen shows Russian President Putin.
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US and Russian officials began a series of highly-decisive talks in Geneva on Monday as tensions remained at ever-high levels over Ukraine.
Russia has increased its military presence on its border with Ukraine in recent months, leading to fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning an invasion of the country. Russia has denied such claims, saying it has the right to place troops where it pleases within its territory.
Putin sought assurances from his US counterpart, President Joe Biden during discussions last month that Ukraine would not join NATO, as it considers any expansion of the Western military alliance to West to east are both a security threat. Biden refuses to make such guarantees.
Speaking to America’s ABC News on Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he did not expect any progress in relations with Russia as long as tensions on the Ukraine border remained high.
“If we’re really going to make progress in these talks starting next week, but I don’t think we’ll see any breakthrough next week, we’ll listen to your concerns.” them, they will listen to our concerns and we will see if there is a basis for progress. profanity,” Blinken said.
He added that “Russia has opened fire on Ukraine with 100,000 troops near its border” and could increase that number in the short term. “So if we see de-escalation, if we see a reduction in tensions, that’s the kind of environment where we can make real progress and, again, address the concerns, the concerns.” reasonable mind of both parties.”
Content of the talk
The world is watching how the negotiations progress for any signs that the icy relationship between the US and Russia is thawing.
Tensions have increased greatly and on many fronts, since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, interfered in the 2016 US election, played a role in the nerve agent attack in the UK in 2014. 2018 and the creation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, among other issues.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that the United States and its allies would interfere in elections, arms deals, Ukraine and other issues at security talks with Russia. Wednesday.
Talk to reporters at a press conference about the White HousesPsaki said “Russia has of course raised … European security issues. Let’s be clear: Over the past two decades, it has been Russia that has invaded two neighboring countries, meddled in many other elections.. . used chemical weapons to carry out assassinations on foreign soil, and in violation of international arms control agreements.”
“We and our allies will raise those and other issues with Russia in the coming days and weeks, and certainly as part of these negotiations. And of course, we do. cannot forget that there is a Russian military occupation of Ukraine,” she noted, referring to the ongoing conflict in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian troops have been fighting forces Ukraine for many years.
High Shares
The security discussions taking place Monday are the first talking point this week in a series of meetings between Russia and the West, with talks expected to resume on Wednesday between the Council Russia and NATO in Brussels, and at a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna on Thursday.
The way Biden manages Russia, and his Russian counterpart, is being watched closely with Fred Kempe, president and chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council, noting Monday that this week of talks “could be a turning point.” the most important week for Biden in his entire presidency from a foreign policy standpoint.”
“European history knows well those who threaten against the more benevolent. We’ve seen this photo before. But we must remind and show who really is the aggressor here. It’s a game of information but at the same time Putin can actually act militarily if he wants to. We’re really on the cusp of war. If he wants war, Putin can make it happen. It’s going to happen. It’s going to hurt Russia terribly, it’s going to hurt Europe irretrievably,” he told CNBC’s Capital Connection on Monday.
Not everyone is pessimistic about the prospects for the negotiations and for broader relations between Russia and the West.
Christopher Granville, executive director of Political Studies at TS Lombard, told CNBC on Monday that there is a preference for agreement on limiting military deployment in Europe, specifically some of the agreements signed. ended in the Gorbachev era in the last years of the Cold War.
One of the agreements signed in 1990, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, covers arms control and has specific terms and limits for deployment in Europe. region, Granville argued that such an agreement could be reached again.
“If the parties can agree that they’re not going to have advanced deployments either near Ukraine on the Russian side, or near Russia on the Western side then you can have a deal. It’s been done before, why is it? can’t be done again,” he told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Monday.
“Well, the answer is, I suppose the atmosphere is completely toxic, there is no trust and everyone is disliking but strange things have been seen and it has been done before and I think growth is undervalued.”
