On Friday, the United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Geneva to discuss Russian President Vladimir Putin’s security proposal over the ongoing tensions in Ukraine in further detail. Both Blinken and Lavrov emphasised in their opening statements that they were not expecting any major breakthroughs in the meeting, which was a follow-up to the US-Russia bilateral and multilateral meetings held in early January.
Talking to reporters after their 90-minute meeting, Blinken said the discussion with Lavrov was “frank and substantive” and that despite no breakthrough, “we are now on a clear path in terms of understanding each other’s concerns and each other’s positions.” Blinken reiterated America’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the light of Russian military aggression along the Ukrainian border.
“This was not a negotiation but a candid exchange of concerns and ideas,” he said. During the meeting, Blinken identified “specific” concerns that the US and its European allies have in relation with Russia’s actions that jeopardise the security of the region, and warned that Moscow’s aggression such as cyber-attacks and funding of paramilitaries will be met with a “swift, severe and a united response.”
Blinken pointed out that the US will make progress on the Ukraine issue with Russia only on a reciprocal basis and offered to “increase transparency, to reduce risks, to advance arms control, to build trust.” Additionally, Blinken and Lavrov also briefly discussed the Iran nuclear deal and the two jailed American citizens in Russia — Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed.
In a press conference after the meeting, Lavrov said the purpose of Friday’s meeting was to clarify whatever doubts the US and its allies have regarding Russia’s security demands so that Washington can present a significant counter proposal to Moscow. Lavrov highlighted that Russia expects “equally concrete” responses to its security proposal from the US in line with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) indivisibility of security aspect.
Lavrov said that Moscow was satisfied with the exchange of views and added that Washington has made promises to deliver a written response next week. However, he also pointed out that America and the West have a history of breaking promises.
On Sunday, Ukraine received more than 90 tons of “lethal aid” from the US in an effort to bolster Kyiv’s military as the presence of 100,000 Russian troops at their border continues to threaten Ukrainian security. The $200 million shipment was approved by US President Joe Biden in late December last year to deter further Russian aggression.
Over the last year, Washington has provided Kyiv with a total of $650 million in defence equipment— the most it has given to a country in a year. US military aid to Ukraine since 2014, amounts to around $2.7 billion. In the past few weeks, Spain, France, Estonia and the United Kingdom (UK) has also provided Ukraine with defence support to counter Russia’s hostility.
Biden is considering holding a summit with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an effort to de-escalate tensions between the two. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday, “The President always values leader-to-leader engagement,” adding that a summit would be “effective at this point in the discussion.”