Issued on:
The top diplomats of Russia and the United States were to meet in Switzerland on Friday to discuss soaring tensions over Ukraine after a flurry of meetings between officials on both sides in the last week produced no breakthroughs.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Geneva for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following a swing through Europe to shore up U.S. allies’ commitments to hit Russia with sanctions if it goes ahead with an invasion of Ukraine.
Washington’s hopes of building a united front of opposition to Moscow were complicated by U.S. President Joe Biden’s comments at a news conference on Wednesday in which he predicted Russia would “move in” on Ukraine and said Moscow would pay dearly.
Appreciative of the important opportunity to meet in Berlin with our European Allies about the ongoing Russia-caused crisis with Ukraine. We are all committed to supporting Ukraine and its people in the face of Russia’s aggressive actions. pic.twitter.com/ktEeejfDI3
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) January 20, 2022
Russia has massed tens of thousands of troops on its borders with Ukraine, and Western states fear Moscow is planning a new assault on a country it invaded in 2014 to annex the Crimean peninsula. Russia denies it is planning an attack, but says it could take unspecified military action if a list of demands are not met, including a promise from NATO never to admit Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, asked about Biden’s comments, said Russia had been receiving similar warnings for at least a month.
“We believe that they in no way contribute to defusing the tension that has now arisen in Europe…
Source : france24
