The USA and Russia are trying to resolve the Ukraine crisis diplomatically. Putin’s plans are still unclear – but he can already book a success.
Moscow – In the crisis over Russia and Ukraine, it is still unclear what exactly Vladimir Putin’s plans are. While talks between the USA and Russia have been going on since Monday (January 10th, 2022), the Kremlin is sending partly contradicting messages – according to Putin’s wishes, as the New York Times reports.
Russia has now sent around 100,000 soldiers to the border with Ukraine. While the risk of an invasion grows steadily, the deputy Russian foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov assured that there are no such plans. Putin himself, on the other hand, warned in December against a “military-technical answer” if Russia’s demands were not met.
Ukraine crisis: agreement between Russia and the US unlikely
These are primarily an assurance that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO. The eastward expansion of NATO has been running since 1997, with Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania as well as Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary being accepted as members. Georgia and Ukraine are candidates for membership. According to the Federal Academy for Security Policy, contrary to what has been claimed, there has been no assurance from the West that NATO will not expand beyond Germany’s borders.
| country | Russia |
| capital city | Moscow |
| Head of state | President Vladimir Putin |
| Inhabitants (as of 2018) | 144.526.636 |
Experts told the New York Times that Russia’s maneuver on the Ukrainian border has already served a purpose, namely to start talks with the United States. For 30 years there have been no discussions between the two countries on the subject of NATO enlargement. Even if it is considered unlikely that the military alliance will comply with Putin’s demands, this can already be seen as a success for Moscow.
Talks between Russia and the USA will run until Thursday
However, no one can say whether Russia is actually planning to attack Ukraine. According to analysts, Putin is taking advantage of the uncertainty about how he will proceed at the negotiating table. Even the negotiator Sergei Ryabkov should not be fully aware of what is planned, reports the New York Times.
The talks between Russia and the USA on the Ukraine crisis are initially expected to continue until Thursday (January 13th, 2022). After that, Russia wants to decide “whether it makes sense” to proceed through diplomatic channels. (vbu)
