US affirms its commitment to de-escalation, but says intensifying efforts to deter Moscow

Amid escalating tensions over Ukraine, the US State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, said that Washington remains committed to keeping the path of de-escalation with Russia open but at the same time it is also intensifying its effort to deter Moscow. Speaking at a press conference, Price stated that the United States is intensifying its efforts to deter Russia and to impose costs should Moscow decide to go ahead with military action. However, he also added that the US remains committed to keeping the prospect of de-escalation through diplomacy alive for as long as it can.

“But Russia must de-escalate and engage in genuine dialogue and diplomacy,” Price said, adding that “Washington has taken note of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying that there is still a path for diplomacy, but it does not see any signs of de-escalation in Ukraine.”

The State Department spokesperson said that Washington has not seen any indication of de-escalation. “We have not seen any tangible, any real sign of de-escalation,” he stated. Price went on to say that the US hopes to engage in “good-faith” dialogue and diplomacy. But he added that in order for it to be good-faith, it will require the Russians to respond in kind in order for this to bear fruit. 

Price said, “It will also have to take place in the context of de-escalation.”

Further, in the same press conference, Price said that for any additional bilateral engagement between the US and Russia, the White House would continue to closely coordinate the engagement with Ukrainian and European allies as well. However, as for the next steps, Price stated that it is the US’ impression that it will be in receipt of the Russian response, following which it will decide on future steps. 

Russia-Ukraine crisis 

Meanwhile, Price’s remarks come amid escalating tensions over allegations about Russia’s plans to invade Ukraine. Western leaders have vowed to take “swift and deep sanctions” against Moscow should it march on Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Moscow will attack on February 16. However, hours later, he later issued a clarification and stated that he was only referring to media reports of an imminent Russian attack on February 16. 

On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to "negotiate" on Ukraine and the draft security guarantees laid out to the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in late December, as tensions mounts at the eastern European borders, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. The top representative of Putin also revealed that the Kremlin head has conceptually approved the foreign ministry's draft of Moscow's responses to the proposal, which sought restriction on eastward expansion of NATO forces, allegedly posing a serious threat to Russia's security, Sputnik reported.  

(Image: AP)