US and Russia face deep differences ahead of Ukraine talks

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WILMINGTON, Del. – After pugnacious speech betwixt Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin implicit the Russian unit buildup connected the Ukraine border, some sides importune they are hopeful that a pathway to easing tensions could unfastened during diplomatic talks acceptable for January.

But with little than 2 weeks to spell earlier elder U.S. and Russian officials are to conscionable successful Geneva, the chasm is heavy and the imaginable of uncovering an exit to the situation faces nary shortage of complications.

Biden connected Friday told reporters that helium advised Putin erstwhile they spoke by telephone a time earlier that the upcoming talks could lone enactment if the Russian person “deescalated, not escalated, the situation” successful the days ahead. The U.S. president said helium besides sought to marque plain to Putin that the U.S. and allies stood acceptable to deed Russia with punishing sanctions if the Russians further invade Ukraine.

“I made it wide to the President Putin that if helium makes immoderate much moves into Ukraine we volition person terrible sanctions," Biden said. "We volition summation our beingness successful Europe with NATO allies. There volition beryllium a terms to pay.”

Meanwhile, Biden's nationalist information squad connected Friday turned their attraction to mentation for the Geneva talks, acceptable for Jan. 9 and 10, to sermon the Russian massing of immoderate 100,000 troops connected its borderline with Ukraine.

The Geneva talks, which are to beryllium led connected the U.S. broadside by elder State Department officials, are slated to beryllium followed by Russia-NATO assembly talks and a gathering of the Organization for Security and Co-operation successful Europe.

Biden is scheduled to talk by telephone Sunday with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The 2 leaders program to reappraisal preparations for the upcoming diplomatic engagements, according to the White House.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken connected Friday debriefed Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg connected the Biden-Putin telephone and discussed preparations for the upcoming summit.

“The 2 weeks up are going to beryllium tough,” said Daniel Fried, a erstwhile U.S. ambassador to Poland who was a apical advisor connected Eastern Europe to Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. “The Biden medication has done a beauteous credible occupation of outlining, framing up the negotiations. But the toughest trial is yet to travel due to the fact that Putin volition proceed to prosecute successful threats and brinksmanship to spot however determined we are."

While Biden reiterated that helium stood acceptable to nonstop punishing sanctions that would reverberate passim Russia, Kremlin officials doubled down connected its informing to Biden astir making a “colossal mistake” that could person tremendous ramifications for an already fraught U.S.-Russian relationship.

A apical Putin adjutant connected Friday reinforced that Russia stands by its demands for written information guarantees. Moscow wants it codified that immoderate aboriginal enlargement of NATO indispensable exclude Ukraine and different erstwhile Soviet bloc countries and demands that the bloc region violative weaponry from countries successful the Russian neighborhood.

“We volition not let our initiatives to beryllium drowned successful endless discussions,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the authorities RIA-Novosti quality bureau Friday. “If nary constructive reply comes successful a tenable clip and the West continues its assertive course, Russia volition person to instrumentality each indispensable measures to support a strategical equilibrium and region unacceptable threats to our security.”

The Biden medication and NATO allies person made wide that the Russian demands are non-starters.

The seemingly unrealistic rhetoric has made immoderate successful Washington question of however effectual talks tin be.

Following the Biden-Putin call, a radical of 24 erstwhile U.S. nationalist information officials and Russia experts- — a radical that includes respective officials who served successful the Obama, George W. Bush and Clinton's administrations — released a connection calling connected Biden to immediately, and publicly, laic retired the penalties Russia would look if Putin were to determination guardant with subject action.

The signatories of the connection included respective erstwhile U.S. ambassadors, including Fried, Russia envoys Michael McFaul and Alexander Vershbow, and Ukraine envoys Steven Pifer and John Herbst.

“We judge the United States should, successful closest consultation with its NATO allies and with Ukraine, instrumentality contiguous steps to impact the Kremlin’s cost-benefit calculations earlier the Russian enactment opts for further subject escalation,” the radical wrote. “Such a effect would see a bundle of large and achy sanctions that would beryllium applied instantly if Russia assaults Ukraine. Ideally, the outline of these sanctions would beryllium communicated present to Moscow, truthful that the Kremlin has a wide knowing of the magnitude of the economical deed it volition face."

The Russians for their portion proceed to marque the lawsuit that they are facing an existential menace with Ukraine.

Lavrov connected Friday noted an summation successful weapons supplies to Ukraine and the increasing fig and scope of associated subject drills conducted by Western powers with Ukraine, charging that “the Kyiv authorities people perceives this enactment arsenic a carte blanche for the usage of force.” He added that Russia volition support its citizens surviving successful eastbound Ukraine.

“As for residents of Donbas, wherever hundreds of thousands of our citizens live, Russia volition instrumentality each indispensable measures to support them,” helium said. “An capable effect volition beryllium fixed to immoderate imaginable subject provocations by Kyiv against Donbas.”

Simon Miles, a diplomatic and planetary historiographer of the Cold War astatine Duke University, said it would beryllium a mistake for the White House fto “Russia unilaterally acceptable the tempo of what is astir to unfold.”

“Whatever the U.S. tin bash to support the Russians connected their backmost foot, arsenic opposed to letting the Kremlin acceptable the agenda, is going to beryllium important to securing a favorable resolution,” Miles said.

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Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov successful Moscow contributed to this report.

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