US-Russia Negotiate Over Ukraine Invasion Threats

The United States and Russia began negotiations Monday over Russia’s Ukraine invasion threats.

The United States and Russia began formal talks Monday in Geneva over Russia’s threats to invade Ukraine once again.

The Russians demanded that Ukraine not be admitted to NATO and end bilateral aid to Ukraine. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman dismissed these proposals out of hand as violations of US, NATO, European and Ukrainian sovereignty.
The US negotiators proposed limits on military exercises and a revival of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty that Trump allowed to expire in 2019 after repeated Russian violations.
Russian negotiators downplayed threats to invade Ukraine. There are currently 100,000 Russian troops deployed along the Russian-Ukrainian border, including 32,000 troops in Eastern Ukraine itself.
In 2014, Ukrainians overthrew their pro-Russian president. Russia used his ouster as pretext to annex Crimea. Russia also sponsored an ongoing rebellion in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 13,000.
Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, the Biden Administration is actively lobbying Democrats to oppose sanctions on the Russian-built Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested Congress to approve the sanctions.

The New York Times analyzed the options available to the U.S. and Europe to stave off a further Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Economist expressed skepticism that Russia’s threats would make NATO retreat – and theorized it could “have the opposite effect.”
The Guardian assesses the military options available to Putin in Ukraine.

Fox News surveyed the agenda of the US-Russia talks, including Russia’s threats to further invade Ukraine, Russian demands and the NATO response.
Given Russia’s saber-rattling and China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea, National Review asks a pertinent question: “Is the U.S. military actually ready for a war?”
The folks at the Commentary Magazine Podcast discussed the limited options available for the Biden Administration due to Putin’s unrealistic negotiating position.

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