Blinken, Lavrov discuss “sanctions from hell” but not dates
3 December 2021
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with his
Ukrainian and Russian counterparts on the sidelines of the OSCE meeting in
Stockholm on Dec. 2. Blinken met Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, with whom he
reiterated the U.S. commitment to support Ukraine.
In Blinken’s terse 30-minute meeting with Russian
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the two sides exchanged views on a range of
topics with the situation in Ukraine foremost, intellinews.com reports. Both
sides, speaking at separate press conferences after the meeting, stated that
their positions had been heard. Lavrov told reporters that if, as he’d heard,
there would be new “sanctions from Hell”, if an incursion by the Russian
military into Ukraine were to occur, then Russia would have to respond. “We cannot
help but react,” washingtonpost.com quotes him as saying. The two sides did
agree to keep talking.
Lavrov insisted on “concrete” guarantees regarding
ties between Ukraine and NATO. A written set of expected guarantees is to
follow, Lavrov stated.
Two items that were not mentioned in the discussion
were the supposed Russian-backed upcoming coup attempt claimed by President
Zelensky, and a possible date for a phone or video conversation between
presidents Biden and Putin. Blinken only referred to “an upcoming call” between
the presidents in his meeting with journalists.
James Hydzik: Recall,
Putin has already stated that Ukraine’s rapprochement with NATO is unavoidable,
and that he didn’t know how to handle it. The likelihood, then, of Russia
reverting to form, with state-level intimidation, cyber attacks and media
blitzes, is high, and the latest episodes on the military and diplomatic fronts
are true to form.
There seems to be a sense of kicking the issue down
the road, and that all concerned are looking for signs of what to do next. The
status quo regarding the US and Russia on Ukraine could hold through the
year-end, with a series of warnings and the outline of reactions to various
measures, but no shift of conditions.
