Continue talks

U.S.-Russia to continue talks on Ukraine crisis

The secretary of State's remarks came after his meeting in Geneva with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

By QUINT FORGEY

The United States plans to present Russia next week with a written record of its concerns about Moscow’s behavior and proposals aimed at resolving the security crisis on the Russia-Ukraine border, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday.

Blinken’s remarks came after his meeting in Geneva with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, where the two top diplomats held highly anticipated talks following a week of engagements by Blinken with U.S. allies in Kyiv and Berlin.

In a news conference, Blinken described his conversation with his Russian counterpart as “frank and substantive,” and he said they both “agreed that it’s important for the diplomatic process to continue” as Russia maintains its military buildup along Ukraine’s border.

“I told him that, following the consultations that we’ll have in the coming days with allies and partners, we anticipate that we will be able to share with Russia our concerns and ideas in more detail and in writing next week, and we agreed to further discussions after that,” Blinken told reporters.

Still, it remains unclear how a written response to Moscow from Washington will help advance the mostly stagnant diplomacy between Russia and the West. The United States has already ruled out Russia’s major demands: that NATO pull back its presence in the Baltic and Eastern Europe, and that Ukraine and Georgia be permanently barred from joining the military alliance.

“This was not a negotiation, but a candid exchange of concerns and ideas,” Blinken said Friday. “I made clear to Minister Lavrov that there are certain issues and fundamental principles that the United States and our partners and allies are committed to defend. That includes those that would impede the sovereign right of the Ukrainian people to write their own future. There is no trade space there. None.”