Russia, US meet for security talks in Geneva
Officials from Russia and the US held talks in Geneva on January 10 in an attempt to de-escalate tensions at the Ukrainian border.
US deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman met with Russian deputy foreign minister Sergey Ryabkov in the Swiss city in the first of three sets of bilateral talks between the two adversaries. Under discussion is the reported build-up of Russian troops at the country's border with Ukraine.
Moscow wants the US and its NATO allies to commit to no military ties with Ukraine, which moved out of Russia's political orbit following its 2014 revolution. Russia subsequently annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea and is accused of supporting rebel forces in Ukraine's east.
After speaking with her Russian counterpart, Sherman described the talks as "frank and forthright" but cautioned that it was too soon to say whether the Kremlin was committed to finding a resolution to the crisis.
"I don't think we know the answer to that," Sherman told reporters when asked if Russia was willing to de-escalate the crisis. "We will see whether in fact Russia understands that the best way to pursue diplomacy is for them to reduce those tensions and de-escalate."
Ukraine claims a force of over 100,000 Russian troops has amassed near its border. Moscow has said it has no intention to invade the ex-Soviet state, describing the military movements as manoeuvres and exercises, Sherman said.
"And they can prove that in fact they have no intention by de-escalating and returning troops to barracks," she said. She described the discussions as "useful" but described Russia's demand that NATO never admits Ukraine as a member as a "non-starter."
"We will not allow anyone to slam closed NATO's open door policy," she said.
A commitment that Ukraine will never join the alliance is one of Russia's main demands.
Tensions between Ukraine and Russia have contributed to the recent spike in gas prices, given Ukraine's importance as a transit route for Russian gas to Europe. European gas prices were relatively stable on January 10, with the February delivery contract trading 1.9% down at €86.5 ($98)/MWh.