Tensions in Ukraine: Urgent US-Russian talks in Geneva as invasion fears grow

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met for talks in Geneva amid growing concerns that Russia might invade Ukraine.

"This is a critical moment," Blinken said in his opening remarks. The United States and Russia "do not expect to resolve our differences here today," he added, but hope to test whether diplomacy is still a viable option.

In his later speech, Lavrov described the talks as honest and valuable. Moscow has deployed 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine but denies planning an invasion.

Across the table at a luxury Swiss hotel, Blinken warned his Russian counterpart of a "united, swift and serious" response if Russia took a step. President Vladimir Putin has asked the West what he says affects Russia's security, including stopping Ukraine from joining NATO.

He wants the Western Defense Alliance to abandon military exercises and stop sending weapons to Eastern Europe, which Moscow sees as its backyard.

After the meeting, Lavrov accused NATO of working against Russia at a press conference. However, he reiterated Moscow's position that it "never threatened the Ukrainian people" and had no plans to attack Ukraine.

The United States will provide Russia with a written response to its security red line "next week," he added. After that, another meeting is expected to follow if Russia considers it.

Mr. Blinken told reporters that the United States was ready to explore possible ways to address Russia's concerns in a spirit of reciprocity.

Analysts have previously argued that this could include more transparency regarding military exercises in the region or the resumption of missile restrictions in Europe. Those rules were once set out in the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a Cold War-era pact the United States scrapped in 2019 after accusing Russia of violating the accord.

Blinken also called on Russia to end its aggression against Ukraine, saying the increase would attack Ukraine south, east, and north.

He said the United States knows from experience that Moscow also has a "tome" of non-military ways to advance its interests, including cyberattacks.

Blinken said the talks also included Iran and its nuclear capabilities, which he cited as an example of how the US and Russia could work together on security issues.