(FiveNation.com)- Last week it was revealed that top-ranking diplomats from Russia and the United States began holding consequential and crucial discussions on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis. It follows weeks of failed discussion between diplomats as Russian President Vladimir Putin insists that NATO countries provide “reassurances” that they will not get involved in any potential conflict.
The talks are so consequential not just because Russia wants to invade Ukraine and claim it as Russian territory, but also because Western pushback of any future invasion could seriously impact Europe’s supply of natural gas. It would also force President Joe Biden to walk back his support of the NordStream 2 gas pipeline, which would feed gas to the United States from Russia.
He might even have to go back to former President Donald Trump’s plan to fund the Keystone XL pipeline between Canada and Russia…and you know he doesn’t want to admit he was wrong on that one.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva, Switzerland. The two men and various other government officials are working out tensions – and while Russia continues to insist that it is not planning an invasion of Ukraine, the major sticking point in these discussions is that the U.S. and Western nations won’t rule out taking action against Russia if it were to happen.
On Thursday, Blinken attempted to play down the prospects of any kind of “immediate fix” following the Geneva discussions, and said that straightening out the big issues “won’t happen quickly.” He said that a resolution would not be agreed to by Friday, and it wasn’t.
President Joe Biden has promised “severe” consequences in the form of economic sanctions, effectively stopping Russian banks and economic institutions from processing the U.S. dollar. However, it just might not be enough for Russia. President Putin has his sights set on expanding the Russian empire, and President Biden is hardly the kind of intimidating president who would stop it.
What do you think – are these discussions pointless?
