Russia ratchets up pressure on Europe, says ‘no grounds’ for further talks on security amid heightened tensions

BELGRADE, Serbia — A apical Russian authoritative said determination were “no grounds” to proceed information talks to defuse the situation implicit Ukraine’s purpose to articulation NATO — a rebuff to the West arsenic portion of a hardline blitz by Moscow envoys Thursday that ended successful an impasse aft days of high-stakes diplomacy.

The remarks by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov amped up the unit connected the Biden medication and its allies arsenic they conflict find a way retired from tensions betwixt NATO and Russia and avert a imaginable caller warfare successful Europe.

This week’s flurry of meetings successful Europe was seen arsenic a captious bid by the United States and NATO partners amid fears Russia could motorboat a multipronged onslaught connected Ukraine — a erstwhile Soviet republic whose authorities has built ties with the West, but is seen by Moscow arsenic portion of its sphere of influence.

Russian forces are massed adjacent Ukraine, wherever Russian-backed separatists successful the eastbound person battled the Kyiv authorities since 2014. Earlier that aforesaid year, Russia forcibly annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Russian officials person denied plans to onslaught Ukraine and rebuffed NATO calls to de-escalate, saying Russia has a close to determination troops and forces connected its ain territory.

Russian officials person insisted during the week’s talks that NATO is threatening Russian information and warned repeatedly that Moscow volition not judge thing little than the Western alliance’s statement to wantonness its open-door argumentation connected membership.

Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded sweeping information guarantees from the United States and NATO, including a halt to immoderate further enlargement eastward by the alliance, a information agelong ruled retired by NATO officials.

In a rapid-fire bid of statements from Kremlin and Foreign Ministry officials Thursday, Russia gave a sweeping thumbs down to the Western effort to easiness tensions.

In speedy succession, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and Russia’s ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation successful Europe, Alexander Lukashevich, each condemned the refusal of United States and NATO to judge Russia’s demands.

Ryabkov’s comments, coming adjacent arsenic the Organization for Security and Cooperation successful Europe was gathering successful Vienna, undercut the group’s efforts to extremity the stalemate.

The Russian stance — which besides includes an extremity to NATO operations successful countries of Eastern Europe and erstwhile Soviet countries — would fundamentally reshape European security. It besides reflects Putin’s effort to rework the fallout of the illness of the U.S.S.R., which near Russia weakened arsenic NATO expanded.

The last determination connected immoderate further dialog with the West rests with Putin. But it appears improbable helium would impulse a continuation of talks against the proposal of elder diplomats. Putin has accused NATO of aggression and threatened to find a “military-technical” solution if it does not stop.

Speaking connected Russian television, Ryabkov said the United States and its allies person rejected Russia’s cardinal demands — including its telephone to permanently artifact Ukraine and others from joining the confederation — offering to negociate lone connected topics of secondary involvement to Moscow.

“There is, to a definite extent, a dormant extremity oregon a quality successful approaches,” helium said. Without immoderate motion of flexibility from the United States, “I bash not spot reasons to beryllium down successful the coming days, to stitchery again and commencement these aforesaid discussions.”

Ryabkov besides refused to regularisation retired sending Russian subject infrastructure to Cuba oregon Venezuela if tensions with Washington continued to rise. In caller weeks, Ryabkov has warned the existent duel with the West could crook into a Cuba rocket situation scenario, referring to the 1962 showdown that brought the satellite to the brink of a imaginable atomic war.

Lavrov, who described the Western presumption arsenic “arrogant, unyielding and uncompromising,” said that Putin would determine connected further enactment aft receiving written responses to Moscow’s demands adjacent week.

In summation to calling the talks unsuccessful, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov connected Thursday highlighted a measure announced the time earlier by Democratic senators for pugnacious caller sanctions against Russians, including Putin, if determination is subject enactment against Ukraine.

Peskov called it “extremely negative, particularly against the inheritance of the ongoing bid of negotiations, albeit unsuccessful, but negotiations.” Sanctioning a caput of authorities “is an outrageous measurement that is comparable to breaking disconnected relations,” helium said.

Peskov besides accused the United States and NATO of escalating the struggle with efforts to “entice” caller countries to articulation NATO.

Lukashevich, Russia’s ambassador to the OSCE, warned of “very unsafe trends.” He said Russia had not heard an capable effect to immoderate of its proposals.

“We person forgotten however to perceive and perceive each different and however to scope agreements. There is simply a confrontation against Russia, and this is simply a large problem. I said intelligibly contiguous that we person to wantonness this vicious signifier of seeing Russia arsenic an enemy.”

OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid said aft the OSCE gathering that the concern successful the portion remained “very perilous,” echoing the meeting’s opening remarks.

“It seems the hazard of warfare successful the OSCE country is present greater than ever earlier successful the past 30 years,” the group’s Permanent Council chairman, Zbigniew Rau of Poland, said astatine the start.

Europe faces “a peculiarly sedate menace to peace,” helium added, and indispensable cleave to its founding principles that states are adjacent and should not usage subject unit oregon threats.

Thursday’s talks travel a gathering betwixt U.S. and Russian officials successful Geneva connected Monday and a gathering of the NATO-Russia Council connected Wednesday, the archetypal of its benignant successful 2 years.

The OSCE plays a cardinal relation successful Ukraine, monitoring a cease-fire nether the Minsk bid woody that was designed to extremity the warfare successful eastbound Ukraine betwixt Kyiv and Russian-backed separatists that has killed much than 13,000 people.

Russia denies immoderate portion successful the war, calling it an “internal” Ukrainian conflict. The Minsk statement has made nary advancement successful ending the situation and returning eastbound Ukraine to Kyiv’s control. In caller years, the Kremlin has intervened by issuing passports to residents of eastbound Ukraine, enabling them to ballot successful Russian elections.