Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken told his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey V. Lavrov, in a hastily scheduled meeting in Geneva that the United States would provide written responses next week to Russia’s demands that the West scale back its military presence in Eastern Europe.
Both sides said that the diplomats planned to speak again after that, and they left the door open to another conversation between President Biden and President Vladimir V. Putin to try to resolve the crisis.
It does not advance the interests of a Russian invasion for there even to have been this meeting in Geneva, much less others. The Russian military does not benefit from time, it is hindered by it. Both Lavrov and his deputy had said before these rounds of talks began that they were not going to be dragged out. Now they have been, and that is credit to Russia.
The underlying dispute here is too upsetting to me to recount again. As quickly and briefly as I can, it goes back to the '90's and James Baker's lie to Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not expand East "one inch" beyond East Germany. NATO is now on the doorstep to Russia's doorstep. Russia feels threatened. I understand Russia's umbrage at being lied to and the fait accompli with which they were presented at a time when they were too weak to protest too vehemently. All of this I have written previously and I have always added the following: Understanding how Russia feels does not make their feeling of being threatened less irrational. The United States is not going to attack Russia. Does that really need be said? We are not gradually encircling Russia with purpose of sneak attack a la Barbarossa.The Russians want a written commitment (Baker's lie was oral) from the United States that it will not expand one more inch, i.e. into Ukraine. The U.S. and NATO have (orally) flat out rejected that. In December Russia submitted a written proposal to Secretary Blinken and expected a written response. None has been forthcoming from the U.S. According to this report Blinken said that the U.S. would respond in writing next week.
