No progress seen after Russia-US talks over Ukraine tensions

By MATTHEW LEE and KONSTANTIN MANENKOV

GENEVA (AP) — The United States and Russia locked horns implicit Ukraine and different information issues Monday with nary motion of advancement from either broadside astatine highly anticipated strategical talks.

Low expectations from some Washington and Moscow astir the high-stakes league successful Geneva appeared to person been met arsenic elder diplomats from the 2 countries emerged without offering immoderate hint of success.

Neither characterized the gathering arsenic a implicit failure, but neither did they connection immoderate easing of the progressively worrisome standoff implicit Russia’s subject buildup connected its borderline with Ukraine that the West sees arsenic a cardinal menace to European security. Nor was determination immoderate denotation of question connected other, possibly less-explosive matters that person vexed the U.S.-Russia relationship.

Moscow insists connected guarantees to halt NATO’s eastward enlargement and adjacent rotation backmost the subject alliance’s deployments successful Eastern Europe, portion Washington firmly rejects the demands arsenic a nonstarter.

With some sides dug successful connected their positions and Ukraine’s aboriginal hanging successful the balance, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said “no progress” was made connected the cardinal request connected NATO expansion, though helium insisted: “We person nary volition to invade Ukraine.”

Ryabkov spoke pursuing talks with his U.S. counterpart, Wendy Sherman — portion of a flurry of diplomatic enactment successful Europe this week aimed astatine defusing the tensions.

Sherman called the talks a “frank and forthright discussion.”

“It was not what you would telephone a negotiation,” she told reporters. “We’re not to a constituent wherever we’re acceptable to acceptable down texts and statesman to spell backmost and forth.”

“We were firm, however, connected pushing backmost connected information proposals that are simply nonstarters for the United States,” Sherman said, adding “we volition not let anyone” to unopen NATO’s “open-door policy” that extends to countries seeking to articulation the alliance.

She said Washington “will not forgo bilateral practice with sovereign states that privation to enactment with the United States. And, we volition not marque decisions astir Ukraine without Ukraine, astir Europe without Europe oregon astir NATO without NATO.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described NATO enlargement to Ukraine and different erstwhile Soviet states arsenic a “red line” for Moscow, demanding binding guarantees from the West that they wouldn’t go members of the alliance.

Moscow has sought to wrest a drawstring of concessions from the U.S. and its Western allies, and has massed an estimated 100,000 troops adjacent Ukraine successful steps that person raised concerns astir a imaginable subject involution there.

“The concern present is truthful dangerous, and truthful — I would accidental — precarious that we cannot spend immoderate further delays successful solution of this precise cardinal question,” Ryabkov said astatine a abstracted quality league astatine the Russian mission. “As President Putin said, connected galore occasions, ‘we cannot backpedal. We cannot spell backwards. There is nary further abstraction for america to bash so.’”

Ryabkov rattled disconnected Russian concerns and demands issued past period connected subjects similar NATO enlargement and wanting Western commitments not to deploy violative weapons adjacent Russian borders.

“The American broadside has treated the Russian proposals earnestly and profoundly studied them,” helium said, adding that helium characterized Moscow’s request for legally binding guarantees that NATO would not determination eastward arsenic “an implicit imperative for us.”

Ryabkov emphasized that it would beryllium hard to enactment connected different issues if the U.S. stonewalled connected Russia’s cardinal demands.

“If present NATO proceeds towards deployment of capabilities that are being developed precise rapidly successful the U.S., and volition perchance beryllium introduced determination successful Europe, it would necessitate a subject effect connected the Russian part, that is simply a determination to antagonistic this menace done means astatine our discretion,” said Ryabkov, speaking successful English. “That volition inevitably, unavoidably harm information of the U.S. and its European allies.”

He did not elaborate.

Echoing akin comments from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Sherman said advancement could lone hap if Russia “stays astatine the array and takes factual steps to de-escalate tensions.”

“We’ve made it wide that if Russia further invades Ukraine determination volition beryllium important costs and consequences good beyond what they faced successful 2014,” she said. “Russia has a stark prime to make.”

The gathering was portion of “Strategic Security Dialogue” talks connected arms power and different wide issues launched by Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden astatine a June acme successful the Swiss city. Talks betwixt Russia and NATO are planned Wednesday successful Brussels followed by a gathering successful Vienna of the Organization for Security and Cooperation successful Europe connected Thursday.

The U.S. has played down hopes of important advancement and said immoderate Russian demands — similar a imaginable halt to NATO enlargement — spell against countries’ sovereign rights to acceptable up their ain information arrangements and are nonnegotiable.

But U.S. officials person expressed openness to different ideas, similar curtailing imaginable aboriginal deployments of violative missiles successful Ukraine and putting limits connected American and NATO subject exercises successful Eastern Europe — if Russia is consenting to backmost disconnected connected Ukraine.

Blinken said Sunday helium didn’t expect immoderate breakthroughs, with a much apt affirmative result being an statement to de-escalate tensions successful the abbreviated word and instrumentality to talks astatine an due clip successful the future. But the U.S. volition person to spot a de-escalation for determination to beryllium existent progress.

“It’s precise hard to spot that happening erstwhile there’s an ongoing escalation, erstwhile Russia has a weapon to the caput of Ukraine with 100,000 troops adjacent its borders, the anticipation of doubling that connected precise abbreviated order,” Blinken said connected ABC’s “This Week.”

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg besides sought to play down expectations earlier Monday.

“I don’t deliberation that we tin expect that these meetings volition lick each the issues,” helium told reporters successful Brussels aft talks with Olga Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s lawman premier curate for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. “What we are hoping for is that we tin hold connected a mode forward, that we tin hold connected a bid of meetings, that we tin hold connected a process.”

During a sojourn to Rome, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said dialog offered the lone mode retired of the crisis.

“At the aforesaid time, it’s arsenic wide that a renewed breach of Ukrainian sovereignty by Russia would person sedate consequences,” she told reporters.

Russia has said it wants the contented resolved this month, but NATO is wary that Putin mightiness beryllium looking for a pretext, specified arsenic a nonaccomplishment successful the negotiations, to motorboat an invasion.

The United States, which has emphasized that Ukraine’s authorities and those of different European countries request to portion of the discussions, “will not sermon European information without our European allies and partners,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Sunday.

Thomas Greminger, manager of the Geneva Center for Security Policy, said the talks hadn’t revealed overmuch caller — but were a start.

“But I deliberation what has happened now, these issues are connected the radar of everybody and they are connected the treatment and hopefully soon besides connected the dialog table,” helium said successful an interview. “And that is important. And successful that sense, for me, that is the progress.” ___

Lee reported from Washington. Jamey Keaten successful Geneva, Vladimir Isachenkov successful Moscow, Lorne Cook successful Brussels and Frank Jordans successful Berlin contributed.