Russian delegation arrives for talks with US in Geneva on Ukraine tensions

Members of the Russian delegation arrived at the US Mission in Geneva on Monday where US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov will hold strategic talks. Officials from Russia and the United States and its NATO allies will meet this week for talks that are seen as a first step toward rekindling dialogue as ties are at a low over Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine.

Relations have worsened because Russia has deployed an estimated 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine. Concerns have risen about a broader Russian military incursion in the country. The United States and other Western allies have pledged “severe costs” to Russia if it moves against Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin's government has laid out a list of demands, such as seeking guarantees that the NATO military alliance won't seek to expand any further eastward to countries like Ukraine or Georgia, which are former Soviet republics. Monday's negotiations in Geneva will be followed by Russia-NATO talks in Brussels and a meeting in Vienna of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe over the course of the week.