Explained: US Russia Tensions over Ukraine

Ground Report | New Delhi: US Russia Tensions over Ukraine; High-level talks between the United States and Russia on Ukraine are scheduled to begin in Geneva on Sunday. According to the White House, the United States is ready to discuss with Russia such important issues as military exercises, including the missile program.

Russia and the West have been at odds over Ukraine, with Russia trying to discuss a new security strategy with the West, but withdrawing its troops from the border with Ukraine at this time, according to AFP.

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US Russia Tensions over Ukraine

In these high-level talks, Russian representatives will meet with representatives of NATO and the European Organization for Security and Cooperation, while the United States assures its European allies that they will not be ignored.

Russia has deployed thousands of troops near the border with Ukraine since last year. Russia demands that NATO ensure that it will establish more bases in the former Soviet Union and will not expand further east.

The United States will be represented at the Geneva talks by Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, but she has made it clear before the talks that many of Moscow's proposals are not viable.

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According to a spokesman for the US State Department, the talks, which began on Monday, will begin on Sunday when the US Deputy Secretary of State dines with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken called Russia's demands "showing off" and said the talks would be futile because "Russia has a gun to its head in Ukraine." "We are ready for a full response to Russian aggression, but a diplomatic solution is still possible if Russia so chooses," Anthony Blanken said on Friday.

United States has threatened

It should be remembered that the president of the United States, Joe Biden, and the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, met in Geneva in June last year in which both presidents agreed "continuous talks based on stability" between Wendy Sherman and Ryabkov.

The two presidents have also spoken by phone twice since the meeting, in which the US president warned the Russian president of dire consequences if he did not refrain from invading Ukraine.

The United States has threatened tougher measures if Russia invades Ukraine, including sanctions on those close to the Russian president, suspension of Russian Nord Stream 2 to Germany, and more drastic measures against Russia. This includes the separation of the banking system.

A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States could send more troops to Poland and the Baltic states if Russia invaded Ukraine. On the other hand, European countries have also expressed their solidarity with Ukraine and the EU's foreign policy chief, Joseph Borrell, has also visited Ukraine's border with Russia.

A crucial post

At best, the talks could shed more light on Putin's intentions and reveal whether he is serious about diplomacy.

In the worst case, a breakup could lead to war, allowing Putin to assert to his internal audience that the West was unwilling to speak up and accept his demands and was therefore forced to act to guarantee. the security of Russia.

Western diplomats say they are ready for what they see as this bogus narrative: hence NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg insists the alliance is ready for any Russian military action, and strong US warnings. .and Europe that any invasion will be fulfilled. with massive economic sanctions.

Thus, this week's talks could turn out to be a crucial diplomatic stage, with the fate of Ukraine and Europe's post-Cold War security architecture at stake.

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