Russia deputy FM Ryabkov praises US-Russian pre-Geneva talks
Russia deputy FM Ryabkov said that a positive atmosphere reigns the US-Russia preliminary talks that preceded Geneva talks.
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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov (TASS)
According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, the preliminary portion of the talks between Russia and the US on security guarantees ahead of the major conference on Monday in Geneva was difficult but "businesslike."
"Amazing," Ryabkov stated at the conclusion of the preliminary talks when asked about how the meeting went.
The Russian diplomat stated that "the conversation was difficult, but businesslike, we went straight to the matter of the upcoming talks, I think that tomorrow we will not waste time. I never lose my optimism, I am always guided by it."
The discussion in Geneva on Sunday evening, which preceded the official Russian-US negotiations on security guarantees, lasted more than two hours.
US: Russia has a choice between dialogue, confrontation
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday Russia had the choice between dialogue and confrontation, hours ahead of Russian-US talks in Geneva in light of soaring tensions over Ukraine.
He asserted that the other path consisted of "confrontation and massive consequences for Russia if it renews its aggression on Ukraine. We are about to test the proposition about which path President Putin is prepared to take."
According to Blinken, any positive outcome from the talks would rely in part on Russia's willingness to "stand down from its aggressive posture," which he likened to "an atmosphere of escalation with a gun to Ukraine's head."
"So if we're actually going to make progress, we're going to have to see de-escalation, Russia pulling back from the threat that it currently poses to Ukraine," the diplomat said.
Russia is facing US-European allegations of a military buildup on its shared borders with Ukraine, which they claim amounts to 100,000 Russian troops.
The secretary of the Ukrainian Security and Defense Council said Thursday his country believed there was no immediate threat of a major Russian invasion. Similarly, Kyiv had denied in November Western reports of a Russian military buildup near its eastern border.
