Moscow: President Vladimir Putin and that Biden In a video call on Tuesday, Ukraine determined its adversarial position and agreed that Russia and the United States should keep talking, Kremlin said.
“It is difficult to expect any sudden success, but the presidents demonstrated a willingness to continue practical work and initiate discussions on sensitive issues of grave concern. Moscow, “Kremlin ally Yurik Ushakov said after two hours of conversation
Beyond an agreement to be discussed further, there was no sign of any contraction of positions in the readout of Moscow’s talks, which were followed by weeks of tensions at the border with Ukraine following a massive mobilization of Russian troops.
A Kremlin statement said Putin reiterated Moscow’s allegation that Ukraine was acting provocatively and taking a “disastrous line” aimed at scrapping the agreements of 2014 and 2015, which Russian-backed separatists said. was designed to end the war with
It said Biden touted the possibility of Western sanctions against Russia if the situation worsens and accused Moscow of threatening behaviour. Putin replied that “it is indeed NATO which is making a dangerous effort to conquer Ukrainian territory and building up its military capability on our borders.”
“Therefore, Russia is seriously interested in obtaining credible, legally certain guarantees that prevent the expansion of NATO in the east and the deployment of offensive strike weapon systems in states adjacent to Russia,” the Kremlin said.
It said the two leaders agreed to instruct their representatives to engage in “substantial consultations on these sensitive issues”.
Russian officials have said NATO’s growing ties with Ukraine and the prospect of the coalition deploying targeted missiles against Russia represent a “red line” it will not allow.
The Kremlin said Putin also told his US counterpart that he wanted a guarantee that countries close to Russia would not deploy aggressive strike systems.
The talks were held as the West expressed concern that Russia would invade Ukraine and warned of “strong economic and other measures” should Moscow launch a military conflict.
The Kremlin, which said ahead of Tuesday’s meeting that it did not expect any success, denied any intention to attack Ukraine and said its military’s posture was defensive.
Olga Olikar said, “Two hours tells me they had an important conversation. But they are far from agreeing on anything. But since these are not easy issues, it is not a bad sign – when Till everyone keeps talking,” said Olga Olikar. , Program Director for Europe and Central Asia at the International Crisis Group.
The Kremlin said bilateral relations with Washington were in an “unsatisfactory state”. It said Putin proposed removing limits on the functioning of their respective embassies after a tit-for-tat dispute, in which each country reduced the number of diplomats the other could post.
Ushakov said Putin and Biden underscored the need to make efforts to normalize relations and continue cooperation on issues of mutual interest, such as cyber security.
He said he had not discussed the proposal to meet in person in neutral territory, although the idea had been put forward earlier.
“It is difficult to expect any sudden success, but the presidents demonstrated a willingness to continue practical work and initiate discussions on sensitive issues of grave concern. Moscow, “Kremlin ally Yurik Ushakov said after two hours of conversation
Beyond an agreement to be discussed further, there was no sign of any contraction of positions in the readout of Moscow’s talks, which were followed by weeks of tensions at the border with Ukraine following a massive mobilization of Russian troops.
A Kremlin statement said Putin reiterated Moscow’s allegation that Ukraine was acting provocatively and taking a “disastrous line” aimed at scrapping the agreements of 2014 and 2015, which Russian-backed separatists said. was designed to end the war with
It said Biden touted the possibility of Western sanctions against Russia if the situation worsens and accused Moscow of threatening behaviour. Putin replied that “it is indeed NATO which is making a dangerous effort to conquer Ukrainian territory and building up its military capability on our borders.”
“Therefore, Russia is seriously interested in obtaining credible, legally certain guarantees that prevent the expansion of NATO in the east and the deployment of offensive strike weapon systems in states adjacent to Russia,” the Kremlin said.
It said the two leaders agreed to instruct their representatives to engage in “substantial consultations on these sensitive issues”.
Russian officials have said NATO’s growing ties with Ukraine and the prospect of the coalition deploying targeted missiles against Russia represent a “red line” it will not allow.
The Kremlin said Putin also told his US counterpart that he wanted a guarantee that countries close to Russia would not deploy aggressive strike systems.
The talks were held as the West expressed concern that Russia would invade Ukraine and warned of “strong economic and other measures” should Moscow launch a military conflict.
The Kremlin, which said ahead of Tuesday’s meeting that it did not expect any success, denied any intention to attack Ukraine and said its military’s posture was defensive.
Olga Olikar said, “Two hours tells me they had an important conversation. But they are far from agreeing on anything. But since these are not easy issues, it is not a bad sign – when Till everyone keeps talking,” said Olga Olikar. , Program Director for Europe and Central Asia at the International Crisis Group.
The Kremlin said bilateral relations with Washington were in an “unsatisfactory state”. It said Putin proposed removing limits on the functioning of their respective embassies after a tit-for-tat dispute, in which each country reduced the number of diplomats the other could post.
Ushakov said Putin and Biden underscored the need to make efforts to normalize relations and continue cooperation on issues of mutual interest, such as cyber security.
He said he had not discussed the proposal to meet in person in neutral territory, although the idea had been put forward earlier.
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