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The United States and its allies are prepared to discuss with Russia in talks on Ukraine, the possibility of either side limiting military exercises and the deployment of missiles in the region, a senior US administration official said on Saturday.
The United States and its allies are prepared to discuss with Russia in talks on Ukraine the possibility of either side limiting military exercises and missile deployment in the region, a senior US administration official said on Saturday.
On the eve of important talks between the two sides that will start on Monday in Geneva, senior administration official Biden said the United States is not open to discussing possible restrictions on the deployment of US troops or the presence of US forces in NATO countries in the region.
The Geneva talks, which will be followed by further sessions in Brussels and Vienna, aim to avoid a crisis. Russian President Vladimir Putin has amassed tens of thousands of troops along the border with Ukraine, raising concerns about a possible intervention.
It is unclear whether the US and its European allies will make progress in talks with Moscow. Russian President Putin has called for an end to NATO’s eastward expansion and has called for security guarantees, which the United States says are unacceptable.
But the senior US official, informing reporters before the talks, said there are several areas that present an opportunity for common denominators.
“Any discussion of those areas of common interest where we can be able to make progress will have to be on a reciprocal basis,” the official said. “Both sides will have to make essentially the same commitment.”
Russia says it feels threatened by the prospect of US deployment of missile systems in Ukraine, despite assurances from President Joe Biden that he has no intention of doing so.
“So this is an area where we can be able to reach an understanding if Russia is willing to make the same commitment,” the official said.
The United States is also ready to discuss imposing restrictions on military exercises in the region by both sides, the official said.
“We are ready to explore the possibility of mutual restrictions on the size of the scope of such exercises, including strategic bombers near each other’s territory, as well as ground exercises,” the official said.
The official said Washington is open to a wider discussion on missile deployment in the region, after former President Trump’s previous administration withdrew in 2019 from the 1987 US-Russia Medium-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. , accusing Moscow of violating the agreement.
Will the situation in Kazakhstan affect the talks on Ukraine?
Russia’s decision to send vanguard troops to Kazakhstan, where a crackdown on violent anti-government protests has left dozens dead, adds to uncertainty over next week’s talks on Ukraine.
The question is whether the unrest in Kazakhstan has changed the accounts of Russian President Vladimir Putin as he considers his options in Ukraine.
Some say Mr Putin may not want to get involved in two conflicts at once, while others say Russia has the military capacity to do both, that the decision on whether to attack Ukraine is detached from the situation. in Kazakhstan.
Both Kazakhstan and Ukraine are former Soviet republics that Mr. Putin has tried to keep under Moscow’s influence, but with very different results.
Ukraine, a country aspiring to democracy and resolutely turned to the West, has been embroiled in deadly conflict with Russia since Putin invaded Crimea in 2014 and backed an uprising in the eastern Donbas region.
Kazakhstan, on the other hand, has been ruled for three decades since the fall of the Soviet Union by autocrats who have maintained close security and political ties with Russia.
Asked about Kazakhstan and Ukraine on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he did not want to “mix up these situations”.
“The factors that are driving what is happening in Kazakhstan have to do with economic and political issues,” Mr Blinken said. “What is happening there is different from what is happening on the borders of Ukraine.
“However, history teaches us that when Russians enter a country, sometimes it is very difficult to force them to leave,” Mr Blinken said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry reacted harshly on Saturday to his comment, saying that instead of making such statements, Mr. Blinken should reflect on US military intervention worldwide.
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