Simon Lewis

GENEVA (Reuters), – After a week of intense meetings, the top diplomats from Russia and the United States met in Switzerland to address the escalating tensions regarding Ukraine.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Geneva for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following a swing through Europe to shore up U.S. allies’ commitments to hit Russia with sanctions if it goes ahead with an invasion of Ukraine.

Washington’s hopes of building a united front of opposition to Moscow were complicated by U.S. President Joe Biden’s comments at a news conference on Wednesday in which he predicted Russia would “move in” on Ukraine and said Moscow would pay dearly.

Russia has gathered tens to thousands of troops at its border with Ukraine and Western countries fear that Moscow plans to launch a new attack on the country it invaded in 2014 in order to annexe the Crimean peninsula. Russia says that the attack is not planned but denies any intention to do so. However, it has stated it can take military action against Ukraine if certain demands aren’t met. This includes a guarantee from NATO never accepting Ukraine.

Dmitry Peskov of the Kremlin, when asked about Biden’s remarks, stated that Russia was receiving similar warnings at least for a month.

Peskov declared that she did not believe they could defuse the tension in Europe or contribute to its destabilization.

On Wednesday, Blinken met with British and French officials in Berlin to assure Ukraine that the United States supports them. Blinken stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin may order an immediate invasion.

Blinken’s deputy, Wendy Sherman, and Lavrov’s deputy, Sergei Ryabkov, also met in Geneva last week, where both sides set out seemingly irreconcilable positions.

Russia demands that NATO promise to not admit Ukraine and to halt its easternward expansion. That request has been rejected by the U.S. led alliance.

U.S. officials have played down hopes of concrete results from Friday’s meeting.

Blinken, repeatedly calling out what he called Russian “disinformation” aimed at destabilizing Ukraine, said on Thursday the diplomatic efforts this week meant he could represent a shared view of Western nations to Russia on Friday and press Moscow to step back.

“That unity gives us strength – a strength I might add that Russia does not and cannot match,” Blinken said. “And it’s why… I’ll be able to represent a shared view, a shared preference, on the part of the United States and our European allies and partners for finding a diplomatic path forward to de-escalate this conflict.”

‘NO MINOR INURSIONS’

But that unity appeared to be undermined by comments by Biden, who said on Wednesday that the West’s response may not be unified if Russia only makes a “minor incursion” into Ukraine. These comments prompted officials from the administration to clarify their statements, though they raised questions among U.S. allies about whether Washington would allow Putin any leeway in order to avoid a large-scale invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy tweeted an apparent rebuke on Thursday, reminding “the great powers that there are no minor incursions and small nations. As there is little to no grief for the death of loved ones, so too are there not minor casualties.

Orysia Lutevych is a Ukraine analyst from the Chatham House think tank in London. She said that the Geneva meeting would allow the United States to clear up Biden’s remarks.

According to her, “Hopefully Blinken can resolve some of these ambiguities, if they have the mandate.” The West wasn’t converting rhetorical support to concrete actions, which caused “certain irritation” among the Ukrainians.

However, Donetsk residents in eastern Ukraine were confident that Russia will support them.

I believe in Putin. He must support us and he shouldn’t leave us. All of us hope so. One pensioner, Tatyana, said that she didn’t know Biden but believed in Russia.

Alexander, a 28 year-old resident said that there is a chance for peaceful outcomes.

“For the sake of our children, younger brothers, sisters, and cousins. “I hope they reach the agreement that both of us need in negotiations and then we can finally bring peace and harmony back to our world,” he stated.