Geneva, 22 January 2022 (TDI): Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, met US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken, in Geneva to further deliberate on Ukraine. Both leaders tried to carve a possible diplomatic way forward.
Earlier, Russia and the West tried to arrange a deal through a series of negotiating sessions. Those talks ended in an impasse. Therefore, representatives from both sides decided to schedule another session to avoid the dead end. This meeting took place on January 21, 2022. Before the meeting, both representatives hold a telephonic exchange.
Russian Stance
According to Lavrov, Russia is not planning any military invasion in Eastern Europe. He straightaway demanded a written American response against Russian claims. Moreover, it is yet to be decided whether US State Department would provide such a written response or not.
This matter will be decided after having extensive consultations with US allies. Lavrov commented; “I can’t say whether we are on the right path or not. We will see when we get the American responses.”
As per the remarks of Lavrov, it was a good idea to meet again and discuss the matter. But, only concrete replies can resolve the matter. Similarly, Russia is all open to proposals and counterproposals if there are any.
He further underlined for the US officials to review his proposals for the de-escalation process of the Ukrainian crisis. Meanwhile, Lavrov reiterated that these replies must be in line with the principles of OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe) regarding security.
OSCE rejects the course of the security dilemma. No country is expected to strengthen its security framework at the expense of another country’s security.
Secretary Blinken’s Response
As far as the feedback of Secretary Blinken is concerned, he said that the United States is ready to adopt the diplomatic path but in coordination with NATO, EU, and Ukraine. Surely, the de-escalation process can not happen in a day.
Therefore, the path of dialogue should remain open. Moreover, Washington will clear its view regarding Russia’s demands on NATO position in the next week.
However, in case of any military aggression, sanctions are the only viable solution. Furthermore, Secretary Blinken will brief the European Union officials about the meeting on 24 January 2022. This meeting is expected to take place in Brussels.
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