Friday’s talks between the foreign ministers of the United States and Russia concluded in Washington’s determination to act urgently if Moscow proceeds to breach Ukrainian borders.
“If any of Russia’s military forces cross the Ukrainian border, it is a new invasion. It will be met with a swift, stern and united response from the United States and our partners and allies,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters after meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Labrov, in Geneva.
Tensions have taken their worst turn after in recent weeks Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered more than 100,000 troops to be stationed on the borders of neighboring Ukraine. Attempts at persuasion from the US and NATO have so far been in vain.
The West demands that Russia withdraw its troops from the Ukrainian border, while Moscow presses for NATO to scale back its operations in Central and Eastern Europe and insists that the Western military alliance reject Ukraine’s membership bid.
Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Lavrov said the meeting was “constructive and useful” and denied again that Russia has intentions to invade Ukraine, while seeking security guarantees, such as Ukraine not joining NATO, the military alliance formed seven decades ago after the end of World War II.
The U.S. State Department disclosed this week, however, that it is aware of intelligence entities waging a disinformation war against Ukraine, with the aim of portraying Kiev to the world as the instigator of a global conflict that puts Russia at the forefront of an eventual war.
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