On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader, said Washington and its allies had ignored Moscow’s top security demands that they rebuff Ukraine membership in the North Atlantic Alliance and pull back their arms near Russia, while the United States recapped its commitment to the former Soviet Republic – Ukraine and its territorial integrity. The fighting assertions failed to reduce the pressure over Russia’s positioning of over one hundred thousand forces along Ukraine’s eastern flank. However, Moscow has denied it aims to invade the East European country.
Vladimir Putin’s remarks were his first on the standoff in over a month and proposed a potential Moscow invasion of onetime Soviet Republic might not be looming and that at least one additional round of diplomacy is expected.
Furthermore, the West has refused to rule out Ukraine’s membership in NATO military alliance, saying no outside state has veto power over who belongs in the America-led military alliance formed after the Second World War. Putin told media that it’s already apparent now that elemental Russian worries were ignored.
Additionally, the Russian leader said that it is likely to negotiate an end to the standoff if the comforts of all parties, including Moscow’s security concerns, are taken into consideration. Putin said that he anticipates that they’ll eventually find a resolution, although they realize that it will not be easy.
US Commitment to “Ukraine’s sovereignty and Territorial Integrity”
Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, highlighted the American commitment to Kyiv in a call on Feb. 1 with his Russian Foreign Minister Sergev Lavrov, according to the U.S. State Department. In addition, Blinken advised immediate Moscow de-escalation of the crisis along Ukraine’s eastern flank by pulling out its forces. Both officials, Lavrov and Blinken, spoke a day after U.N. representatives from the US and Russia faced off at UNSC meeting over accusations that Moscow is planning an extensive invasion of its neighbor country, which leans to Western partners for military and diplomatic support.
Furthermore, Ned Price, the spokesperson for the State Department, said that Secretary Blinken emphasized America’s willingness, along with its partners, to proceed with a substantive exchange with Moscow on common security apprehensions. But the U.S. diplomat further repeated the American commitment to the sovereignty and territorial ‘oneness’ of Ukraine, and the right of all states to rule their own foreign policies and partnerships, according to Price.
Source: Web
Also, Antony Blinken restated the United States threat to impose immediate and severe economic sanctions against Russia if it invades its neighbor. Putin held his press briefing after meeting with Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, in Moscow. In the meantime, Britain’s Boris Johnson arrived in the Ukrainian capital for negotiations with the President of Ukraine – Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Moreover, Johnson stated that they urged Moscow to withdraw and join in discussions to find a diplomatic solution and prevent more hostilities.
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