U.S insists on stirring up the possibility of Russia opening fire on Ukraine and, with that argument, rejected the Kremlin’s request that NATO not expand towards Kiev. However, he left the door open to the possibility of starting new negotiations on other points that could decompress the tension of the last few days.
Washington’s response to one of Moscow’s key demands snubbed Vladimir Putin’s government. “There was no positive answer to the main question”Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov lamented.
Even so, the diplomat and main negotiator stressed that “there is a reaction that allows to hope the beginning of a serious discussion on secondary questions” that make it possible to keep the diplomatic channel open to avoid an armed conflict.
The United States insists that Russia will attack
Washington’s tone to make its position known was not the best. He said that he expected a possible attack by Russian forces for “mid-February”, something that is not proven and that only aims to deposit in the Kremlin an alleged decision to go to war.
“Everything indicates” that President Vladimir Putin “will use military force at some point, perhaps between now and mid-February,” the statement said. US Under Secretary of State Wendy Shermanonly on the basis of hypotheses.
However, he stressed that the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing, scheduled for February 4 and which Putin will attend, could influence “the calendar” for avoid offending Chinese President Xi Jinping during that event considered key by his country.
A chance for dialogue
Western countries accuse Russia of having deployed more than 100 thousand soldiers on the border with Ukraine. Moscow questions the United States for sending 90 tons of weapons to that area located 10,000 kilometers from its border, and accuses it of being a “provocation.”
The Americans and NATO delivered two different letters to the Russians in parallelwhich demanded a written response to the drafts of the treaties that they had assigned to the Westerners in mid-December.
However, the United States made it clear that defends “the principle of the open door in NATO”according to the head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken. That is, it cannot formally commit itself not to allow Ukraine to join the military alliance.
Similarly, the Secretary of State forcefully reiterated Western warnings of an unprecedented response against Russia in the event of an invasion of the neighboring country.
However, he assured that this letter offered “a serious diplomatic channel if Russia wishes it”, and said that he was ready to talk again “in the next few days” with Lavrovwith whom he met on Friday in Geneva.
The US government proposes to relaunch formal negotiations on the “gun control” and discuss “the possibility of reciprocal transparency measures regarding (the) military postures, as well as measures to improve confidence regarding military exercises and maneuvers in Europe,” Blinken said.
Meetings continue in France
Russian, Ukrainian, French and German negotiators met on Wednesday in Paris to try to reduce tensions between Moscow and Kiev in the so-called “Normandy” format. The talks ended in the early afternoon.
“It is very encouraging that the Russians have agreed to re-enter this diplomatic format, the only one in which the Russians are involved.”estimated the French presidency, judging that this would give a “clear indication of the state of mind” of the Kremlin before the meeting scheduled for Friday between Emmanuel Macron and Putin.
Even so, The United States placed some 8,500 soldiers on Monday in a “state of alert”, which could bolster NATO’s 40,000-strong Rapid Reaction Force. The decision to deploy them was not made.
The alliance reaches out to Russia but is “prepared for the worst”said its general secretary, Jens Stoltenberg.
Lavrov promised “necessary countermeasures” if the West continues on this “belligerent path” and denounced Western “hysteria” about the alleged imminence of a Russian military intervention in Ukraine.
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