by Emma Farge
GENEVA (Reuters) – Eight hours of “frank and direct” discussions on the Ukrainian crisis and more generally security in Europe did not allow any significant rapprochement of the positions of the United States and Russia on Monday in Geneva.
Americans and Russians praised their steadfastness during these exchanges, which were aimed more at drawing red lines than finding compromises, and while the two countries said they were ready to continue the dialogue, each said they expected the other to do so. take the first step.
For the United States, the primary objective of this meeting, driven by Moscow thanks to the military pressure exerted on the border with Ukraine, was to try to rule out any risk of Russian invasion without making any concessions. on Moscow’s many security demands.
After discussions with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman assured that the American delegation had unequivocally rejected Russian proposals to close the door to the accession of new countries to NATO.
“We have been firm (…) to reject security proposals which are not admissible in the eyes of the United States,” she told reporters.
“We will not give up bilateral cooperation with sovereign states that wish to work with the United States, and we will not take decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine, Europe without Europe or NATO without NATO “, insisted the head of the administration Biden.
The prospect of seeing Ukraine one day joining the Atlantic Alliance is regularly brandished by Russia, which sees it as a threat to its own security, to justify having massed some 100,000 soldiers on the border between the two countries for several months. .
WHO DOES THE FIRST ACTION?
While Washington and Kiev see it as a prelude to a possible invasion of Ukraine, eight years after the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, Moscow denies having such a project and denounces an aggressive and provocative attitude of NATO and the United Nations. ‘Ukraine.
Moscow does not “threaten anyone” and does not “issue an ultimatum”, Sergei Riabkov reaffirmed during a press conference at the end of the meeting in Geneva.
The Russian official, however, issued a thinly veiled warning to the Atlantic Alliance, stressing the latter’s interest in “making a gesture” to respond to Moscow’s “non-negotiable” concerns.
“If that does not happen, it would be a mistake on NATO’s part and it would undermine its own security,” he warned.
From the American point of view, it is on the contrary for Russia to demonstrate that it is ready to lower the tension on the Ukrainian border, in which case the United States will be quite ready to discuss bilateral issues quickly and in greater depth. , said Wendy Sherman.
“Russia can demonstrate its desire to de-escalate by sending its troops back to their barracks,” said Deputy Secretary of State.
While deeming “possible” an agreement with the United States, Sergei Riabkov admitted that the two countries had diametrically opposed visions of the situation.
“Unfortunately, we have great differences in our principled approaches to this subject. The United States and Russia are in some respects poles apart on what to do,” said the Russian official.
Finding common ground will require compromises and respect by the two countries for their mutual interests, he added.
Discussions between Washington and Moscow are to continue Wednesday in Brussels, via a NATO-Russia meeting, then Thursday in Vienna, within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
(Reporting by Emma Farge, with Denis Balibouse in Geneva; Tom Balmforth, Andrey Ostroukh and Andrew Osborn in Moscow; Doina Chiacu, Mohammad Arshad, Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis in Washington; French version Matthieu Protard and Tangi Salaün, edited by Bertrand Boucey )