(UnitedVoice.com) – In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. When President Vladimir Putin started sending his troops to the Ukrainian border last year, the world took notice of the similarities to the past. Recently, the US and Russia held talks about the issue, but comments by Putin’s team indicated the two countries have a major disagreement.
🇷🇺 🇺🇸 Russia-US security talks in Geneva have commenced. On the side of the Russian Foreign Ministry delegation is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey #Ryabkov#RussiaUS pic.twitter.com/lygSxtKcMk
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) January 10, 2022
On January 10, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters one of the biggest points of contention between the two countries has to do with the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. The US supports Russia’s neighbor joining the international body, while Putin is vehemently against it.
Ryabkov said it’s “mandatory to make sure that Ukraine never, ever, ever becomes a member of NATO.” Russia believes the demand is vital to its national security.
President Joe Biden’s Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman spoke to her Russian counterpart for almost eight hours. The was an attempt to ease tensions brought on by the troop buildup, but both Ryabkov and the US official told the press the countries couldn’t come to any agreements. Sherman told the press the US refuses to allow Russia to dictate what nations join NATO.
While the US and Russia met, Ukraine was allegedly continuing to prepare its troops for the possibilty of war. The Kremlin has repeatedly claimed it has no intention of invading, but whether the former Soviet nation keeps its word remains to be seen.
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