Brussels: The United States and its European allies coordinated their stance Tuesday ahead of new NATO-Russia talks to defuse the Ukrainian border crisis, as Kyiv demanded an international summit.
Envoys from Washington and Moscow held inconclusive talks on Monday in Geneva on how to avert confrontation after Moscow deployed forces near Ukraine and demanded wide-ranging security concessions.
On Wednesday, NATO will renew suspended contacts with Moscow at a round of talks between senior diplomats from Russia and allied member states at their Brussels headquarters.
The United States hopes the diplomacy will head off what it sees as Russia s implied threat to launch a new military incursion into Ukraine — without giving much ground on Russia s demands.
“It s too early to tell whether the Russians are serious about the path to diplomacy or not, or if they re prepared to negotiate seriously — we are,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
US President Joe Biden s spokeswoman insisted: “NATO S relationship with Ukraine is a matter only for Ukraine and the 30 NATO allies, not for other countries to determine.”
But Washington s European allies are keen not to be sidelined, as President Vladimir Putin s Kremlin seeks to roll back what it sees as the West s post Cold War encroachment on its turf.
Ukraine s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday reiterated his demand that France and Germany join a new international summit between Moscow and Kyiv to end the conflict.
The French presidency said the Kremlin had agreed for France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine to hold talks “by the end of January”.
But the Ukrainian president s spokesman Sergiy Nykyforov also welcomed “the intent and efforts of the United States and Russia, and NATO and Russia to reduce tensions and resolve all mutual issues at the negotiating table.”
“We trust our partners and their statements that no decision on the fate of Ukraine will be taken behind our back,” he said, in a video statement sent to AFP.
Ukraine s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said “unity” was key against what he described as “Russian ultimatums”. AFP
