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The chances for a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine narrowed after the United States said a meeting between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be possible after Moscow’s recent aggression.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on February 22 that a proposed meeting of the two leaders was off the table at the moment following Putin’s decision to recognize two separatist regions in Ukraine as independent states and send troops there. .
Psaki did not rule out an eventual meeting of the two, but she said Biden would not meet with the Russian president if Russia does not strain the situation in Ukraine by withdrawing its troops.
“We will never completely close the door on diplomacy,” she told reporters.
However, she added that “diplomacy can not succeed if Russia does not change course.”
This came hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had canceled a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that was scheduled to take place later this week.
“Now that we see that the invasion is beginning and Russia has made clear its complete rejection of diplomacy, it makes no sense to continue with that meeting at this moment,” Blinken told a joint news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister , Dmytro Kuleba.
Despite his actions against Ukraine, Putin said on February 23 that his country was still ready to seek a “diplomatic solution” to the crisis, but added that Russia’s interests were not negotiable.
“Russia’s interests, the security of our citizens, are non-negotiable for us,” Putin said in a speech.
More Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia, following the United States, the European Union and Britain in moves to punish Moscow for its actions in Ukraine.
On February 21, Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of the separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.
The two self-proclaimed popular republics are controlled by pro-Russian separatists, who have been fighting Ukrainian forces since 2014.
Putin ordered Russian troops to carry out, as he put it, “peacekeeping functions” in both regions.
The current crisis started at the end of last year, when Russia began to accumulate troops on the border with Ukraine.
Russia has long opposed Ukraine’s move towards NATO and European Union institutions.
She has sought assurances from NATO that she will stop eastward expansion. The US and NATO have rejected the Russian request, but have offered diplomatic channels to resolve the crisis.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but it has been its “partner country” since 2008 – the year it applied for the Membership Action Plan. This means that she may be allowed to join the alliance in the future.
Putin said on February 21 that Ukraine’s membership in NATO would pose a threat to Russian security.
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