US and Russia Fail to Agree on Ukraine Issue: Voice of America

During a meeting held in Geneva on Monday, Russia and the US were unable to resolve the existing disagreements regarding Ukraine, as Moscow continued to demand guarantees to halt NATO's eastward expansion, while Washington firmly rejected these demands, deeming them unrealistic. This was reported by the Reuters news agency, citing Voice of America.

Following the negotiations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stated that "no progress" had been made, reiterating the Kremlin's assertion that Russia has no intention of invading Ukraine. Ryabkov and his American counterpart Wendy Sherman led discussions that lasted for five and a half hours. Sherman described the talks as "frank and candid discussions," but added that no one should be allowed to close NATO's open-door policy.

She also emphasized that America cannot decide on Ukraine without Ukraine's participation, nor on Europe without Europe's involvement, and on NATO without NATO's engagement. It is worth noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin has labeled NATO's expansion towards Ukraine and other former Soviet countries as a "red line" for Moscow, demanding mandatory guarantees from the West that these countries will not become members of the alliance.

Moscow has deployed 100,000 troops along the border with Ukraine, raising concerns about a potential military incursion into Ukraine. After the talks, Ryabkov stated that it would be difficult to discuss other issues if the US continues to reject Russia's key demands. "If NATO continues to deploy its capabilities in Europe, a military response from Russia will follow to counter this threat," Ryabkov noted, adding, "This will inevitably harm the security of the US and its European allies," without providing further details.

Reiterating a previous statement made by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sherman mentioned that progress could occur only if Russia "takes concrete steps to de-escalate tensions." "We have made it clear that if Russia invades Ukraine, it will face significant costs and consequences, much more severe than in 2014," she said, adding, "Russia stands before the critical choice today."