WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies are ready to discuss with Russia in talks on Ukraine the possibility for each side to restrict military activities and missile deployments in the region, said A senior official in the administration of US President Joe Biden said on Saturday.
While crucial negotiations are due to start on Monday in Geneva, the senior official said the United States was not ready to discuss the limits of the deployment of American troops or the maintenance of American forces in NATO countries in the region.
Joe Biden warned that Russia would face serious economic consequences if Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine.
On Saturday, US officials provided more details on sanctions that could be taken against Moscow.
According to a source familiar with the US plans, the sanctions could target key Russian industrial sectors, such as defense and civil aviation, and could affect Russia’s high-tech ambitions, for example in the field of aviation. artificial intelligence or quantum computing, or even consumer electronics.
The Geneva negotiations, which will be followed by other discussion sessions in Brussels and Vienna, aim to avoid a crisis.
Vladimir Putin has massed tens of thousands of soldiers along the border with Ukraine, raising fears of an invasion.
(Steve Holland report, French version Matthieu Protard)