With more than 100 Russian troops massed near Ukraine, many fear that Moscow is preparing for an invasion, although Russia has denied this. The US and its allies are trying to present a united front to prevent this or coordinate a tougher response if diplomacy fails.
The United States and Russia have sought to cool the simmering crisis over Ukraine, even as the two sides reported no progress in Friday's talks aimed at preventing a Russian invasion.
Armed with diametrically opposed positions, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Geneva for nearly 90 minutes, in what the Americans described as a "critical moment".
However, there was no visible movement from either side. Blinken has said that the US and its allies remain committed to rejecting most of Russia's demands.
Moreover, Blinken has told Lavrov that the US will deliver a written response to Russia regarding the proposals and that the two top officials will likely meet immediately after this US letter.
With more than 100 Russian soldiers massed near Ukraine, many fear that Moscow is preparing for an invasion, although Russia has denied this. The US and its allies are trying to present a united front to prevent this or to coordinate a tougher response if diplomacy fails.
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Tension in Ukraine, Blinken and Lavrov meet in Geneva
"We did not expect any great achievement today, but I believe that now we have a clearer path to understand our positions", said Blinkeni after the meeting.
Blinken has said that Lavrov has repeated the position that Russia has no plans to invade Ukraine, but has emphasized that the US and its allies are not convinced by this position.
"We look at what is clear, deeds and actions and not words that make the difference", he said, adding that Russia should remove the army from the border if it wants to clarify its positions.
Meanwhile, Lavrov described the talks as constructive and said that the US has agreed to provide a written response regarding Russian demands for Ukraine and NATO during the next week. This, at the very least, could delay any aggression for a few days.
However, Lavrov refused to characterize the American promise.
"I can't say whether we are on the right track or not. We will understand after we receive the written reaction of the USA regarding our proposals", Lavrov said.
Moscow's demands
Moscow has demanded that the NATO alliance promise that Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, will never join the Alliance. It also wants the West to withdraw its military and military equipment from parts of Eastern Europe.
The US and NATO have rejected most of the demands and have stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin knows they are baseless demands. They have said they are open to less dramatic moves.
Blinken has said that the US is open to a meeting between Putin and the US president, Joe Biden, if it would be productive. The two leaders have met physically in Geneva and in recent months have held virtual talks regarding the crisis in Ukraine.
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Washington and his allies have repeatedly mentioned the consequences, such as economic sanctions, if not military action, against Russia, should the invasion of Ukraine take place.
Blinkeni repeated this threat on Friday. He said that the US is engaged in diplomacy, but if this is impossible and Russia decides to be aggressive towards Ukraine, then there will be a more unified response.
However, he said that he used the meeting as an opportunity to directly mention to Lavrov some ideas to address American concerns and the deep concerns Americans have regarding Russia's actions.
Ukraine is already involved in the conflict. Putin's Russia took control of Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 and has supported separatists in the east of the country. This conflict has claimed the lives of 14 thousand people. Putin has faced pale consequences at the time, but the West has said the new invasion could be different.
American sanctions
Shortly before the meeting with Lavrov, Blinken met with the president of Ukraine in Kiev. Repeating verbal threats against Russia, the US tightened sanctions on Thursday. The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on four Ukrainian officials. Blinken has said these officials were central to the Kremlin's attempts to undermine Ukraine's ability to act independently.
The Russian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed demands on Friday that NATO should not expand into Ukraine, that there should be no Alliance weaponry near Russia's borders and that NATO forces should be withdrawn from Central and Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, the US Department of State has published three statements, two regarding Russian misinformation, especially about Ukraine, and another that revealed the campaign to destabilize Ukraine. The documents accused Russia and Putin of trying to revive the former Soviet Union by force.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has scoffed at these statements, saying they could have been written by the "Orwellian Ministry of Truth". Lavrov also rejected them.
"I hope that not everyone in the State Department is working on these materials and that someone is working on our proposals," Lavrov said.
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Blinken talks with Lavrov, asks for de-escalation of the situation around Ukraine
The ministry has also denied Western views that Moscow is trying to recreate the Soviet empire, increasing its influence in Eastern Europe.
Russia on Thursday accused the West of inciting provocations in Ukraine. He justified this with the distribution of weapons in Ukraine by British military planes in recent days.
