Moscow, on Tuesday, refused to hold new talks on Ukraine unless the West responds to its demands, while media reports said that Russia began moving more forces west towards the border with Ukraine, on the eve of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken heading to Kiev as a sign of support amid fears of Russian invasion, while the US State Department confirmed that Blinken discussed with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, the results of the strategic dialogue between Russia and the United States, as well as the Russia-NATO meetings.
Waiting for the West’s answers
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there would be no further negotiations until the West provided adequate answers. “We are now waiting for answers to these proposals – as we promised – in order to continue negotiations,” he added in a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Birbock. “Let us hope that these talks will continue,” Lavrov said. Washington has flatly rejected the demands, which also include restrictions on the deployment of former Warsaw Pact allies such as Poland and the ex-Soviet Baltic states that joined NATO after the Cold War. Barbuk arrived in Moscow after her meetings in Kiev and said at the press conference with Lavrov that it was difficult for the West to believe Russia’s claims that it did not plan anything. “Over the past few weeks, more than 100,000 Russian soldiers, equipment and tanks have been deployed near Ukraine for no reason,” she said. It’s hard not to see that as a threat.” Regarding the Russian demands in the field of security, she said she supported dialogue, but called for “measures that bring more security to all of Europe.”
A new invitation to dialogue
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday he had called on Russia and NATO allies for more discussions on Ukraine as diplomatic efforts intensified in recent weeks. “Yesterday I invited Russia and all NATO allies to participate in a series of NATO-Russia Council meetings in the near future to address our concerns, but also to listen to Russia’s concerns and try to find a solution” to get out of the crisis, Stoltenberg added during a press conference in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Blinken stresses diplomacy
The US State Department announced that Blinken will travel to Ukraine and meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday to “reaffirm the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” On Tuesday, Blinken called, in a telephone conversation with Lavrov, for a diplomatic approach to end the crisis in Ukraine, the US State Department confirmed. Ned Price said that Blinken “stressed the importance of continuing a diplomatic path to de-escalate the alarming Russian military buildup in and around Ukraine.” “The Secretary of State reiterated the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and emphasized that consideration of European security must include NATO allies and European partners, including Ukraine.”
Turkey warns
Meanwhile, NATO member Turkey has warned Moscow against invading Ukraine, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying he intends to discuss rising tensions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I don’t see Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a realistic option because it is not an ordinary country,” Erdogan told reporters in Albania. Ukraine is a strong country.
In addition, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Putin will brief his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Moscow’s talks with NATO, when he travels to Beijing next month.
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