In this sense, he warned that Russia “will not be able to negotiate in dollars” if it invades Ukrainian territory, but, nevertheless, he pointed out at the press conference for the first year of his mandate that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, does not want a war.
However, he remarked that Russia “will pay a high price in the short, medium and long term. I think he will regret it if he does” and warned of “great” human losses for Moscow.
At the same time, the US head of state pointed out that at the moment “there is no understanding with Putin” but made it clear that he does not believe that the Russian president does not want “a large-scale war.”
“He is an informed individual, and I think he is evaluating and has not yet made a decision,” he added, expanding on the requests made by the Russian leader: “The two things that Putin said he wants guarantees from me is that Ukraine will never be part of NATO and that there will be no strategic weapons stationed in Ukraine.”
In the last hours, Antony Blinken, Secretary of State and head of US diplomacy, urged the Russian president on Wednesday to opt for the “peaceful path” in the Ukraine crisis, two days before a Russian-American diplomatic face-to-face.
Blinken, who will meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Friday in Geneva, he also announced that he will not provide a written response to a series of Russian demands at that meeting, despite Moscow’s insistence.
Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops on its border with Ukraine, raising fears of an invasion. Although it denies any warlike intention, the Kremlin insists that a de-escalation requires guarantees for its security, in particular the commitment not to expand NATO to the east, integrating Ukraine.
The US Secretary of State, who met on Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski and his counterpart Dmitro Kuleba, indicated that the ball is now in Russia’s court.
“I strongly hope that we can stay on a peaceful and diplomatic track, but ultimately, this is President Putin’s decision,” he said.
Washington also announced “an additional 200 million dollars for defense and security aid” from Ukraine, which will surely irritate Russia, which may see it as a threat.
President Zelensky, who often laments an apparent lack of Western commitment to his country in the face of Russia, thanked the United States on Wednesday for its “military help” in “difficult times.”
After his visit to Kiev, the head of US diplomacy is expected in Berlin on Thursday to discuss with Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
And, above all, on Friday, Blinken must meet with his Russian counterpart in Geneva, to try to resume dialogue.
The Kremlin demanded again on Wednesday written answers “in the next few days” to its demands, in particular regarding the non-enlargement of NATO.
Biden-Harris, the reissue of the formula in 2024?
On the other hand, the president of the United States announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would be his running mate again if he decides to seek re-election in 2024.
“She’s going to be my running mate,” he said of Harris at a news conference. “He’s doing a good job,” he added.
Harris, the first woman and person of color to be elected Vice President of the United States, has seen her approval ratings drop since she took office.
In addition, he referred to the negotiations with Iran on the nuclear agreement. “It is not time to give up,” he said, regarding reviving the understanding reached by both nations and the world’s main powers in 2015.
“Some progress is being made,” he assured at a press conference on the talks to restore the pact between Tehran and world powers (the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, China and Germany) began last year, but stopped in June when Iran elected the ultra-conservative president Ebrahim Raisi.
Source From: Ambito
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