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US and Russia meet at ‘critical time’ to stop Putin from invading Ukraine

 


With the week-long standoff over Ukraine at a “critical juncture”, senior diplomats from Washington and Moscow met on Friday for talks aimed at averting a Russian invasion of its neighbor.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov dampened hopes of a breakthrough as they met early Friday in Geneva, Switzerland, the culmination of a diplomatic scramble across Europe in order to stave off a potentially devastating new conflict.

After meeting for about 90 minutes, each diplomat spoke separately to the press about their discussion. Blinken said their conversation was “frank and substantive” and not a negotiation, but a “frank exchange of concerns and ideas.”

Blinken said Lavrov repeated on Friday that Russia had “no intention of invading Ukraine”, but added that it is “deeds and actions, not words, that make the difference”. He said he told Lavrov that if Russia wants to convince the world that it has no intention of attacking Ukraine, it should begin by withdrawing Russian forces from Ukraine’s borders and continuing to engage dialogue.

If Russian military forces enter Ukraine, Blinken warned, the United States and its allies would engage in a “swift, severe and united response.”

The two diplomats said the United States and Russia would exchange ideas and concerns in writing next week. Blinken said he would return to Washington on Friday afternoon to consult with President Joe Biden, the White House national security team and members of Congress.

The United States has expressed growing concern over the impending Russian invasion. The Kremlin massed up to 100,000 troops at the gates of Kiev, but repeatedly denied intent to invade.

Previous talks had made little progress as the United States and its NATO allies rejected Moscow’s demands over the Western alliance’s relations with Ukraine and other former Soviet states.

We don’t expect to resolve our differences here today. But I hope and expect that we can test whether the path of diplomacy or dialogue remains open, Blinken told Lavrov ahead of the meeting. It is a critical moment.

Lavrov, meanwhile, said he did not expect a breakthrough in those talks either. What we expect are concrete responses to our concrete proposals.

The United States and its allies have sought to present a united front, warning of grave consequences, including harsh economic sanctions.

But there have been signs of divisions within the transatlantic alliance over how to respond to Russian aggression.

Ukrainian soldiers patrol the frontline of an ongoing conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country that has killed 14,000 people. Anatolii Stepanov / AFP – Getty Images

Biden has been criticized for distinguishing between a minor incursion and a full-scale attack, suggesting a smaller-scale Russian operation might receive a softer response.

It depends on what he’s doing. It’s one thing if it’s a minor foray and we end up having to fight over what to do and what not to do, the president said at a press conference Wednesday to mark one year in office.

Biden also predicted Russian President Vladimir Putin would invade. I guess he’s moving in, he has to do something.

His comments drew sharp criticism from Washington in Kiev, with some accusing the president of giving Russia the green light to launch an attack.

Biden sought to clarify his comments on Thursday, saying any movement of Russian troops into Ukraine would be considered an invasion.

And Blinken also underlined Western commitment to defending Ukraine.

We have always been very clear if Russian military forces cross the Ukrainian border and commit further acts of aggression against Ukraine that will be met with a swift, severe and united response from the United States and our allies and partners, he told reporters on Thursday. .

After meeting Ukraine’s president in Kyiv and senior diplomats from Britain, France and Germany in Berlin this week, Blinken clashed with Lavrov over a possible last-ditch effort at dialogue.

Russia wants binding security guarantees, including a permanent ban on Ukraine’s NATO membership and the withdrawal of most US and allied military presence in Eastern Europe.

The United States and its European partners say they are ready to consider some less dramatic gestures, but that Russian demands are out of the question and that Putin knows they are non-starters.

Abigail Williams, Dan De Luce, Tatyana Chistikova and Associated Press contributed.

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2/ https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/russia-ukraine-invasion-biden-nato-blinken-rcna13018

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