US says no breakthrough in ‘frank and forthright’ talks with Russia over Ukraine border crisis

By Jennifer Hansler, Jeremy Herb, Kylie Atwood, Natasha Bertrand and Rob Picheta, CNN

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said she does not know yet whether Russia is prepared to de-escalate the situation with Ukraine following its massive build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine’s border and fears of a possible invasion.

Sherman met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov on Monday in the first of three sets of bilateral talks slated for this week. She told reporters that the session was “frank and forthright” but that it is too soon to say whether the Kremlin was serious about diplomacy.

“I don’t think we know the answer to that,” Sherman said when asked if the US got an indication that Russia is prepared to de-escalate on the Ukrainian border. “We will see whether in fact Russia understands that the best way to pursue diplomacy is for them to reduce those tensions and to de-escalate.”

The talks, which wrapped up Monday after more than seven hours in Geneva, Switzerland, follow months of tension near the Ukraine-Russia border, where more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have massed.

Ryabkov told reporters after the meeting that despite American concerns about the Russian troop buildup along the Ukrainian border, Moscow had no intention of launching military action.

“We explained to our colleagues that we have no plans to attack,” he said. “All the combat trainings of troops are carried out within our national territory, and there is no reason to fear any escalation scenario in this regard.”

Sherman said that the US “certainly urged Russia to de-escalate” adding: “But we will see.” She said that the US did not set specific timelines for anything.

Sherman said the US defines de-escalation as Russia returning its thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine to their barracks or explaining what exercises they are conducting and what their purposes are. The Russians told the US that the massing of troops on the border was not a precursor to an invasion, she said.

“I don’t think you’d be surprised to hear that Russia indeed said to us as they said publicly, they do not intend to invade, these are just maneuvers and exercises,” Sherman said. “And they can prove that in fact they have no intention by deescalating and returning troops to barracks,” she said.

Week of high-stakes talks

Monday’s talks were the first of three sets of meetings on tap this week, with NATO talks with Russia on Wednesday in Brussels, followed by talks Thursday in Vienna between Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

The US and Russia had “useful discussions” on Monday, Sherman said, but they did not negotiate about specifics. Sherman said the US delegation pushed back on Russian proposals that were “simply nonstarters,” such as Russia’s demand in the lead-up to this week’s sessions that NATO pledge never to admit Ukraine, saying that “we will not allow anyone to slam closed NATO’s open-door policy.”

Sherman again stressed the US would not have discussions about Ukraine or Europe without those partners in the room.

Ryabkov described the talks as “businesslike” and “professional.” But he said no progress had been made when it came to NATO, where he reiterated Russia’s demands for “ironclad” guarantees that NATO would not expand further east and would never admit Ukraine.

“On the central question, on no expansion of NATO, my answer would be, would be a flat and plan no: No progress,” Ryabkov said. “And this is one of the major problems before. And I would say the rest depends, to a great extent, on what will happen further down the road on this, exactly on this issue.”

Sherman said that the US delegation expressed openness to discussing the future of certain missile systems in Europe along the lines of the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, as well as ways that both sides could set “reciprocal limits on the size and scope of military exercises” and to improve transparency about those exercises.

She noted that both the US and Russia understand that issues as complicated as arms control will take longer than a few days or weeks. Sherman said the US would have further conversations with the Russian government after the multilateral discussions this week.

Deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told CNN’s Jim Sciutto on Monday as the talks wrapped that he does not “see a situation in which the US walks away” from talks with Russia, even if Kremlin officials take positions during this week’s discussions that are considered nonstarters by the US.

“Russia put out positions that are nonstarters and said other things we think maybe present some areas in which we can work to make progress, and we’re going to find that out during the course of this week,” Finer said.

US quietly authorized $200 million in Ukraine aid

In late December, the Biden administration quietly authorized an additional $200 million in security assistance to Ukraine, according to four people familiar with the matter.

The security package authorized the shipment of much of the same defensive equipment the US has provided in the past, including small arms and ammunition, secure radios, medical equipment, spare parts and other equipment. The package was authorized just weeks before the US and Russia were set to begin this week’s talks.

The administration quietly notified Congress of the new authorization earlier this month, two of the people said. Some officials found out about it though classified channels, two of the sources added. The equipment will likely take some time to deliver — a delivery of $60 million worth of equipment authorized last summer is only now nearing completion, a State Department official told CNN.

The State Department said that weaponry was delivered over the last few weeks and that assistance will continue, but declined to discuss specifics.

“I’m not going to get into every tranche and update of security assistance. The point is: we have given more security assistance to Ukraine in the last year than at any point since 2014. Those deliveries are ongoing, as recently as in the last few weeks, and there are more scheduled in the coming weeks,” a State Department spokesperson said.

By contrast, earlier the State Department has spoken to specific details surrounding the additional security assistance that was authorized. In this case the Biden administration appeared to want to keep this new package out of the limelight ahead this week’s talks, two congressional sources said.

The National Security Council referred CNN to the State and Defense departments for comment. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment.

As of mid-December, the US had provided Ukraine with more than $450 million in security assistance, a White House official told CNN at the time. By the end of the year, the administration had delivered new Javelin missiles and Command Launch Units, Island Class Patrol Boats, first aid kits, secure radios, electronics, medical equipment, engines, generators, spare parts and other equipment, the official said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC on Sunday that the administration had continued to provide defensive assistance to Ukraine “as recently as the last couple of weeks” and that “if there is further aggression by Russia against Ukraine, we’ll see even more of that.”

One source familiar with the assistance said that it is not a game-changer and would not be enough to serve as a major impediment to a Russian invasion. The Ukrainians have made clear to the US that they want more security assistance — beyond the kinds of defensive weaponry already provided, the source explained.

Breakthrough unlikely

The global community will be closely following the discussions, which have been billed as a late attempt to avert a war on Europe’s eastern flank.

Still, Blinken played down the prospects of a breakthrough on the eve of the talks. “It’s hard to see making actual progress, as opposed to talking, in 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,” Blinken said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

“We’re here because repeatedly over the last decade, Russia has committed acts of aggression against neighbors — Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine in 2014, and now the renewed threat about Ukraine today,” he added.

“It’s also not about making concessions. It’s about seeing whether, in the context of dialogue and diplomacy, there are things that both sides, all sides can do to reduce tensions,” Blinken said.

On Sunday, Sherman and Ryabkov held a dinner that was “difficult but business-like” ahead of Monday’s formal session, Ryabkov told state news agency RIA Novosti.

The State Department readout of the dinner said Sherman “stressed the United States’ commitment to the international principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the freedom of sovereign nations to choose their own alliances.”

As many as 100,000 Russian troops have remained gathered near the Ukrainian border, despite warnings from US President Joe Biden and European leaders of serious consequences should Putin move ahead with an invasion. And US intelligence findings estimated last month that Russia could begin a military offensive in Ukraine “as soon as early 2022.”

Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call earlier this month that the US and its allies “will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine.”

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CNN’s Mick Krever, Nic Robertson and Alex Marquardt and contributed reporting.