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Ukraine
OpinionComment
Danil Bochkov
Danil Bochkov

Opinion | Compromise unlikely in Russia-West stand-off over Ukraine as Cold War mentality intensifies

  • Talks between Russia, the US and Nato are starting to sound like a broken record as all sides refuse to give ground and risk looking weak
  • With tensions likely to remain high even if the Ukraine crisis abates, Moscow is busy bolstering ties with China, Iran and other allies

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Danil Bochkov

After several rounds of security talks between Russia, the United States and Nato yielded no substantial progress, all sides seem to have buried any hope for a turnaround in the diplomatic and security stalemate.

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Another attempt to defuse the security impasse – in talks between Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in Vienna – was described as a disappointment by the Russian delegation, saying it saw no rationale for further meetings with the West in the short term.

Key reasons behind the failure to see eye to eye include suspicion of each other’s actions and their fear of showing weakness or losing the diplomatic initiative. Russia has demanded “ironclad, waterproof, bulletproof, legally binding guarantees” that Ukraine will never become a member of the transatlantic security alliance.
Speaking from a position of force appears to have been interpreted by the US as a non-starter. Washington has countered Russia’s hard bargaining with threats of severe economic consequences if Moscow escalates its aggression against Ukraine.

Russia’s call for security guarantees does not imply any give and take, to say nothing of Washington risking the loss of its image of leadership should it agree to them. Though politicians cannot come to terms with each other, expert opinion seems to be more in agreement, however.

02:30

US predicts Russia will ‘move in’ on Ukraine as UK and Canada send arms and special forces

US predicts Russia will ‘move in’ on Ukraine as UK and Canada send arms and special forces
Russian pundits don’t expect the security crisis to be resolved any time soon. American scholars, meanwhile, have highlighted that Russia understands the US and allies will never accede to Moscow’s demands.
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