Saturday, January 08, 2022
Before talking about Ukraine
Blinking Kremlin offers carrot and stick
The concentration of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine is creating a mood of alarm in the West. Talks between Washington and Moscow should smooth things over. Before the start of negotiations, US Secretary of State Biden sends a two-part message to the Kremlin.
Before important negotiations with Moscow in the coming week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken once again raised serious allegations against Russia and at the same time advocated a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis. A diplomatic solution to the crisis that Russia itself brought about is still possible and desirable, said Blinken in Washington on Friday. That’s what the next week’s meeting will be about.
“And we believe that there are areas in which we can make progress,” said the US chief diplomat. However, this cannot be a one-way street, but must go in both directions. Blinken threatened again that if Moscow opted for escalation, this would have “massive consequences”, including economic measures.
In the coming week – January 10th – talks between the USA and Russia are planned in Geneva. A meeting of the NATO-Russia Council is scheduled for January 12th – the first in two and a half years. In addition, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will hold talks on January 13th. The US has been accusing Russia of building troops in areas on the border with Ukraine for weeks. It is feared that Russian troops could invade the ex-Soviet republic. Russia denies such plans.
Blinken complained that the Russian government’s argument that Ukraine was the aggressor in this case was simply “absurd”. Moscow’s claim that Russia is being threatened by NATO is also wrong. Rather, Blinken made serious reproaches to Moscow: Russia had invaded two neighboring countries, interfered in the elections in many countries, violated international arms control agreements and used chemical weapons in attempted assassinations against Russian opposition members.
Blinken phoned his Ukrainian colleague Dmytro Kuleba on Friday and, according to the US State Department, reaffirmed the US’s “unwavering support” for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.