Geneva, Jan 21: The top diplomats of Russia and the United States are holding crucial talks on Friday as a weeks-long standoff over Ukraine teeters on the cusp of a pivotal and potentially violent phase, with rising concerns that Europe may again be beset by war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are meeting in Geneva, once a key Cold War crossroads, trying to avert a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine amid Moscow’s demands for concessions from NATO over its relationship with the former Soviet republic.
Blinken on Thursday played down any prospects of an immediate fix in the Geneva talks, which are set to run about two hours, saying resolving the difficult issues won’t happen quickly and emphasising that he doesn’t expect a resolution on Friday.
Washington and its allies have repeatedly promised severe consequences such as biting economic sanctions though not military action against Russia if an invasion goes ahead by 100,000 Russian troops who have been positioned near the Ukrainian border for weeks.
After meeting with Ukraine’s president in Kyiv and top diplomats from Britain, France and Germany in Berlin this week, Blinken was set for a face-to-face with Lavrov that is shaping up as a possible last-ditch effort at dialogue and a negotiated agreement but both sides sticking to so-far-irreconcilable red lines.
On Thursday in Berlin, Blinken warned of a swift, severe response from the US and its allies if an invasion is launched, and the US Treasury Department slapped new sanctions on four Ukrainian officials.
Blinken said the four were at the center of a Kremlin effort begun in 2020 to damage Ukraine’s ability to independently function.