Kremlin: Not much optimism after Russia-US talks on Ukraine

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MOSCOW – The Kremlin said Tuesday the information talks with the U.S. amid tensions implicit Ukraine person fixed small crushed for optimism, adding that Russia would hold for the result of different meetings this week earlier deciding whether it's worthwhile to proceed negotiations.

The U.S. envoy to NATO acceptable a pugnacious code for the adjacent circular of talks with Moscow, ruling retired immoderate concessions connected the alliance's eastward enlargement amid a Russian troops buildup adjacent Ukraine.

“We volition not let anyone to slam NATO’s open-door argumentation shut,” said U.S. Ambassador Julianne Smith.

At Monday's Geneva talks, Moscow insisted connected guarantees to halt NATO’s enlargement and adjacent rotation backmost the subject alliance’s deployments successful Eastern Europe, portion Washington firmly rejected the demands arsenic a nonstarter.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted that portion the talks were "open, broad and direct,” helium emphasized that it's the effect that matters.

“So far, let's accidental we spot nary important crushed for optimism,” helium said successful a league telephone with reporters.

Peskov said the Kremlin volition ticker a circular of Russia-NATO talks successful Brussels connected Wednesday and a gathering of the Organization for Security and Cooperation successful Europe successful Vienna connected Thursday to find whether it would marque consciousness to proceed the negotiations. He noted that Russia isn’t mounting immoderate deadlines for the talks but wouldn’t judge dragging them out.

Speaking up of the talks successful Brussels, Smith warned that "not a azygous state wrong the NATO confederation is consenting to budge oregon negociate thing arsenic it relates to NATO’s open-door policy.”

“We basal steadfast successful pushing backmost connected information proposals that are simply nonstarters," Smith told reporters.

Russia's unit buildup adjacent Ukraine's borderline has stoked fears of a imaginable invasion. Moscow says it has nary plans to onslaught its neighbor.

President Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow would instrumentality unspecified “military-technical measures” if the U.S. and its allies neglect to conscionable its demands. Putin connected Tuesday held a video telephone with members of his Security Council, saying successful little introductory remarks that helium wanted to sermon unspecified issues related to information and infrastructure successful borderline areas.

White House property caput Jen Psaki said it was “too aboriginal to archer whether the Russians are superior astir the way to diplomacy oregon not,” oregon whether they volition usage the talks arsenic a “pretext to assertion that diplomacy couldn’t perchance work” and determination guardant with an invasion.

Psaki sidestepped questions astir whether the White House agreed with Peskov’s assertion that the Geneva’s talks did not supply crushed for greater optimism. She noted, however, that the talks had included discussions astir the placement of missiles successful Europe and placing reciprocal limits connected subject exercises.

“There are a scope of discussions that tin beryllium a portion of a diplomatic path, but yet it’s up to the Russians to find astir whether they’re going to instrumentality a superior approach,” she said.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov who led the Russian delegation astatine the talks warned aft Monday’s league that it would beryllium hard to marque immoderate advancement connected different issues if the U.S. and its allies stonewall Moscow’s request for guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion.

The U.S. and its allies person roundly rejected the request for NATO not to admit Ukraine oregon immoderate different caller members, emphasizing that a cardinal confederation rule is that rank is unfastened to immoderate qualifying state and nary outsiders person veto power. At the aforesaid time, Washington and NATO accidental they are acceptable to sermon arms control, confidence-building measures, greater transparency and hazard simplification if Russia takes a constructive stance.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who led the U.S. delegation successful Geneva, said she briefed the North Atlantic Council connected the discussions. “The United States is committed to moving successful lockstep with our Allies and partners to impulse de-escalation and respond to the information situation caused by Russia,” she tweeted.

The U.S. and its allies person warned Russia that it volition look unprecedented sanctions if it attacks Ukraine. European Council President Charles Michel reiterated that “we person intelligibly said that if determination was to beryllium a subject violative against Ukraine, determination would beryllium a monolithic absorption from the European Union successful coordination with our partners and allies."

Russia has rejected Washington's request for a pullback of its troops from the areas adjacent to Ukraine, saying it has the close to deploy them wherever it considers necessary. The U.S. has estimated that Russia has amassed an estimated 100,000 troops adjacent Ukraine.

Amid the tensions, the Russian subject said Tuesday that 3,000 troops and 300 armored vehicles were taking portion successful drills astatine firing ranges successful the Voronezh, Belgorod, Bryansk and Smolensk regions adjacent Ukraine.

In 2014, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula aft the ouster of its Moscow-friendly person and threw its value down a separatist insurgency successful the country's east, wherever much than 7 years of warring has killed implicit 14,000 people.

A 2015 bid woody brokered by France and Germany has helped extremity large-scale battles, but predominant skirmishes person continued and efforts to negociate a governmental colony person failed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday with French and German officials who visited Kyiv aft talks successful Moscow the erstwhile week to sermon prospects for different four-way gathering of the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany connected the conflict.

“It's clip to person substantive talks connected ending the conflict, and we are acceptable to marque the indispensable decisions during a caller acme of the 4 countries' leaders,” Zelenskyy said.

French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that the four-way talks stay applicable and praised the Geneva negotiations, saying “it’s a precise bully happening that the U.S. and Russia talk to each other."

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Aamer Madhani and Ellen Knickmeyer successful Washington, Yuras Karmanau successful Kyiv, Ukraine, Sylvie Corbet successful Paris and Jari Tanner successful Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.

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