Diplomatic delegations of the United States and the Russian Federation have at the U.S. Mission in Geneva, Switzerland, for the beginning of what could be protracted negotiations on future relations between Russian and NATO, including Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s eastern border.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman are leading the talks, which are expected to last at least through the end of the week. The two sides are expected to touch upon an array of outstanding issues that have frayed U.S.-Russia relations over the years, including a new treaty on medium-range nuclear missiles.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken told various U.S. news programs on Sunday that, among other matters, the Biden Administration was ready to discuss a new Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty.
But at the nexus of the discussions is the threat of war posed by a Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s eastern flank and the refusal of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to back down.
Putin is specifically insisting on security guarantees from NATO, including that Ukraine will never become a member of the alliance. Many experts believe his broader strategic intention is to return Ukraine to Russia’s sphere of interest through a multi-party agreement, much like Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill re-drew the map of Europe at Yalta, after World War II.
Putin has gone so far as to indicate that without security guarantees, the Kremlin might see military action as the only remaining alternativeto to assure it’s security needs. The Russian leader has pointed to NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe during the 1990s and a more recent incremental build-up of military hardware and troops in the region. What he does not recognize is that increased military support for the countries of Eastern Europe and defensive military hardware for Ukraine have come in response to Russia’s 2014 illegal annexation of parts of eastern Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula.
U.S. Representative Andy Levin, a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, told the Kyiv Post in an exclusive interview that while the U.S. and its allies must remain unyielding in their demands that the Kremlin remove Russian forces from Ukraine’s border, the Geneva negotiation should also be viewed as the first real opportunity for extended negotiations with the Kremlin in years.
“This week's talks could really be a turning point in this conflict,“
said Levin, who is also a leading member of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. “I am hopeful that the sides will take steps towards de-escalation and a full return to comprehensive negotiations over this conflict and even lead to negotiations over larger issues, like European security and arms control.”
Levin underscored that until the Kremlin shows that it is ready to negotiate in good faith and remove its troops from Ukraine’s eastern border, the U.S. and its Western allies must remain strong and resolute in defending Ukraine.
“Deterrence measures should include imposing further sanctions, providing more defensive equipment and deploying NATO forces and equipment on NATO’s eastern flank,” Levin explained.
The congressman added that the key to successful talks is the degree to which Putin wants to sincerely find a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“Ukraine’s territorial integrity is critical. And it’s also critical to assure the end of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine. It would be unacceptable for Russia to believe that it can achieve its aims by threat of force in Ukraine or elsewhere in the world.
“If it’s Putin’s honest goal to have larger discussions, then good. Diplomatic discussions are good. Let’s get them. Let’s de-escalate and stop threatening force in order to get your way. [If it’s force] we will not accept that. It’s not going to work.”
