Seven hours of negotiations between the U.S. and Russia yesterday did not produce any immediate agreement, with both countries staking out seemingly irreconcilable positions on NATO and the deployment of troops and weapons in Eastern Europe, keeping tensions high amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sergei Ryabkov, the lead Russian negotiator, said after the meeting that it was “absolutely mandatory” that Ukraine “never, never, ever” become a NATO member. His American counterpart, Wendy Sherman, reiterated that the U.S. could never make such a pledge because of NATO’s “open door policy.” The U.S. and its allies would not stand by if Russia sought to change international borders “by force,” she added.
The impasse left the fate of Ukraine — which was not invited to the bilateral talks — in a state of uncertainty, with Russia’s military intentions far from resolved. While Russia has massed roughly 100,000 troops on its borders with Ukraine, Ryabkov told reporters “we have no intention to invade Ukraine.”
Next steps: The talks will continue tomorrow in Brussels, when Russian officials meet with NATO allies, and on Thursday in Vienna. The outcome of those discussions would determine whether Russia was willing to proceed with diplomacy, Ryabkov said.
Context: Tension is growing, and Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, is increasingly willing to take geopolitical risks to restore Russian influence in Eastern Europe. He has cast Western support for Ukraine as an existential threat, claiming that the former Soviet republic was being turned into an “anti-Russia” that could be used to weaken his country.
New York Times