New York – The United States is willing to re-discuss the deployment of missiles in Europe that concern Russia, and also the exercises being conducted on its borders, in the Geneva talks on continental security that begin tonight. However, if Moscow proves that it has not come to the table to sincerely discuss the crisis caused by the massing of its troops on the border with Ukraine, Washington is ready to punish it with sanctions that will isolate it from the rest of the world economically. It will then accelerate military aid to Kiev, up to the point of arming the guerrillas against possible occupation. This was revealed by a senior White House official, speaking last night with reporters for a briefing to present the negotiation.
The American delegation will be led by Wendy Sherman, the deputy secretary of state who had already managed nuclear negotiations with Iran, while the Russian delegation will be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. The first introductory talks will take place already tonight, but the real in-depth discussion is scheduled for tomorrow. The White House source presented the appointment as follows: “First, we would have our concerns to raise. This is crucial, since, as anyone familiar with history knows, the main threats to European security over the past two decades have come from Russia and the forces it is aligned with. Moscow invaded and occupied its neighbors twice. It interfered in a myriad of elections, including ours. It used chemical weapons to carry out murders and violated basic arms control treaties, such as the INF. So, any serious conversation with Russia on European security will have to address these issues, which, of course, are not mentioned in the draft Russian documents. Secondly, there are some things in the Moscow drafts about which we will never be It is not for Russia, for example, to decide with whom other countries should be allies. These are decisions that affect those nations and the Alliance itself. context of NATO, we call it “open door” and neither Russia nor any other country will close it. But we have also said that there are some areas mentioned in the Russian documents on which we believe it is possible to make progress both at the bilateral level, through the Strategic Stability Dialogue, and at the multilateral level, through the NATO-Russia Council or the OSCE, or both. . Third, and perhaps this is the most important point: any discussion of those overlapping areas where we may be able to make progress will have to be mutual. By this we not only mean that Russia should do something in return for any steps taken by the United States, or our allies, but that both sides should make essentially the same commitment. These discussions should also be conducted in full consultation with our partners and allies. We will not make any commitments with Russia that address the security interests of our allies without them. “
President Biden’s close aide then went into detail on the points on the table: “The missiles. Russia said it felt threatened by the prospect of offensive missile systems being placed in Ukraine. As President Biden told President Putin, the states. United does not intend to do so. So, this is an area where we may be able to reach an understanding if Moscow is willing to make a mutual commitment. Russia has also expressed interest in discussing the future of some missile systems. in Europe along the lines of the INF Treaty, which you violated and from which the previous US administration withdrew. We are open to discuss this possibility, once again, with the full involvement of our allies. ” Second point: “The exercises. In recent years, Russia has conducted a series of increasingly broad and coercive military maneuvers along its borders with NATO allies. Moscow says its security is also threatened by US and military exercises. NATO. Therefore, we are willing to explore the possibility of mutual restrictions on the size and range of such maneuvers, including strategic bombers close to each other’s territory and ground exercises. “
However, the White House has set some stakes: “We have seen reports of other things that the United States would be open to discuss, such as troop numbers or the deployment of forces in NATO countries. I want to be clear that this is not on the table. . We will not know until we are at the table if Russia is ready to negotiate seriously and in good faith, or if it will simply use the appointment as a pretext to say that diplomacy cannot satisfy its interests, and therefore it must resort to other means. As we have said, while we would much prefer a reduction in escalation, if Russia chooses this other path, we are more than ready and fully in line with our partners and allies regarding the need to impose high costs on Moscow through sanctions. , export controls targeting key industries, strengthening the position of NATO forces in Allied territory and increased security assistance in Ukraine. “
The Biden administration then issues a warning: “A final note of caution, before the talks: we’ve all been through it enough times, to know how Moscow is likely to handle the messages of these conversations. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Russian media began to report, perhaps even while the talks are still ongoing, that the United States has made all sorts of concessions to Russia. It is a deliberate attempt to create division among the Allies, in part by manipulating all of you. I really urge you not to do so. fall into this trick. Come to us and we will clarify any Russian statements immediately. But I can assure you in advance that there will be no definitive commitments in these talks. They will be serious and concrete, but exploratory in nature. Anything discussed will have to return to Washington for be considered, and also be reviewed with partners and allies over the course of the week. ” Therefore, on the American side there is neither optimism nor pessimism: “We are approaching these meetings with a sense of realism. We are willing to see whether or not Russia presents itself with a spirit of seriousness, willing to discuss these issues in a concrete and results-oriented. That’s what the two presidents agreed in their last phone call, so we’ll put the proposal to the test in the room. “
The New York Times yesterday anticipated that if Moscow does not get serious, Washington is already preparing sanctions with its allies, which will include the exclusion of Russian financial institutions from global transactions, the embargo on any technology produced or designed by the United States in the defense and commercial consumption sectors, and also the arming of Ukrainian forces for the insurgency in order to carry out a guerrilla action against the military occupation by the Kremlin. The senior White House official commented on these revelations as follows: “I will not go beyond what I just said at the beginning, which is that we have been very clear publicly and privately with the Russians that they will face high costs if they follow the path of “Military foray. They will face financial and economic sanctions, diplomatic consequences, and a strengthened position of NATO forces on Allied territory. They will face increased security assistance to Ukraine, to aid it in its ability to defend its territory. All of these.” things are on the table and we are not trying to hide. But we also don’t want to expose them publicly in detail, because we believe the path to more constructive negotiations is behind closed doors. Whatever they choose to do, however, we are prepared for both eventualities. “.
A final reflection is dedicated to the crisis in Kazakhstan, which could distract Putin from Ukraine and weaken him: “This is a question to ask the Kremlin, not us. What is happening in Kazakhstan has no impact on the US. We have concentrated on. on this issue from different angles. You have seen our public comments, which express concern about the possibility of violence being used against peaceful protesters. Of course, we are also concerned about the presence of US personnel in Kazakhstan and are planning accordingly “But beyond that, we don’t have much to say about the situation. It’s a good question, but it should be properly addressed to the Kremlin.”
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