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Diplomats from the United States and Russia met in Geneva on Monday, beginning a series of high-level talks this week on the massive gathering of Moscow troops along its border with Ukraine and Russian demands for security guarantees from the west.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A State Department spokesman said the meeting began shortly before 9 a.m. Central European Time, while stressing that the US side has consulted not only with Ukraine but also with NATO and other allies across Europe.<\/p>\n
“The United States is committed to the ‘nothing for you, no to you’ principle when it comes to the security of our European allies and partners, including Ukraine<\/em>“, Said the spokesman in a statement. “We are connected at every level with our allies and partners and will continue to be in the coming days and weeks<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n Following the Geneva talks, Russia will hold talks with NATO in Brussels on Wednesday, and in Vienna on Thursday with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.<\/p>\n Ahead of Monday’s US-Russia meeting, top diplomats on both sides expressed little optimism that tensions between the countries would ease this week.<\/p>\n “It is difficult to make any progress with the Ukrainian revolver in the head<\/em>“, Said the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, for the show” State of the Union “on CNN.<\/p>\n “We will listen to Russia’s concerns” over NATO military exercises in Central and Eastern Europe“<\/em>, said Secretary Blinken, but added that “they will have to listen to our concerns” about the 100,000 troops that Russia has amassed along Ukraine’s eastern flank.<\/p>\n Russia’s state news agency RIA, meanwhile, quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying it was entirely possible that the US-Russia talks would end abruptly after a single meeting.<\/p>\n “I can not exclude anything; this is a completely possible scenario and Americans duhet should have no illusions about it<\/em>“, Ryabkov is quoted as saying. Officials from both countries held a working dinner Sunday night ahead of Monday’s talks in Geneva.<\/p>\n “Of course, we will not make any concessions under the pressure and in the course of the threats that are constantly being raised by the Western participants in the forthcoming talks.<\/em>“, Said Ryabkov.<\/p>\n Secretary Blinken reiterated the US threat of severe economic sanctions against Moscow if it invaded Ukraine, eight years after the annexation of the Crimean peninsula.<\/p>\n “Our strong preference is a diplomatic solution, but it depends on Russia<\/em>“, Said Secretary Blinken on the ABC show” This Week “.<\/p>\n Russia denies planning an invasion of Ukraine as it seeks to end NATO enlargement and halt allied military exercises in Central and Eastern Europe that joined it after 1997.<\/p>\n The United States and NATO have said that a large part of the Russian proposals is not a good start.\/VOA<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n top channel
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