Meeting in Geneva for high-states diplomacy over Ukraine, 72-year-old Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met with her 61-year-old Russian counterpart Sergei Rybakov for eight hours. At the end to the meeting, little was accomplished other than going through the motions, since both side dug into their respective positions. Rybakov tried to set the Western hysteria straight that 69-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin has no intent of invading Ukraine, a frequent accusation by Western officials and press, going so far as giving fake dates, like the end of January for a Russian invasion. But no matter what reassurance Rybakov said, Sherman insisted that she wanted Russia to prove “de-escalation” by removing Russian troops away from the Ukrainian border, something preposterous. U.S. or NATO are in no position to tell Russian security forces what to do inside Russia’s border.
Rybakov made clear that Russia will not accept Ukraine joining NATO or holding NATO war material inside Ukraine because of it proximity to the Russian border. U.S. and NATO cite the March 1, 2014 Russian invasion of the Crimean Peninsula as proof that Russia intends to annex the Donbass region of Eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists have fought a bloody war in Ukraine for the last eight years killing some 14,000 Ukrainians, though there’s no way to confirm the number. But U.S., EU and NATO have never acknowledged what happened Feb. 22, 2014 when a CIA-backed coup toppled the duly elected, Kremlin-backed government of Viktor Yanukovych. Pro-Western forces led by former heavyweight boxer Vitali Klitskhko chased Yanukovych out of Kiev, prompting Putin to invade the Crimean Peninsula March 1 housing the Russian Sevastopol navy base.
Yet Western officials and the press pretend that a Feb.22, 2014 CIA-backed coup never took place, only Putin, in an act of naked aggression, seized the Crimea Peninula. So when Rybakov hears Western officials and the press accusing Russia of plotting a new invasion, he sees it as preposterous. Sherman’s demands that Russia remove its troops as an act of de-escalation away from the Ukrainia border makes no sense to the Russia side. Russian doesn’t demand that the U.S. remove its troops from the South Korean border, accusing the U.S. of a potential North Korean invasion. “We had a frank and forthright discussion over the course of nearly eight hours,” Sherman told reporters, admitting to no real progress. “For us, it’s absolutely mandatory to make sure that Ukraine never, never, ever becomes a member of NATO,” Rybakov told reporters clarifying the Russia position at the end of the meeting.
Sherman mirrors the view of 59-year-old Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that the U.S. and NATO will not be told who may join NATO, a free choice among sovereign nations deciding their own security arrangements. “We will no make decisions about Ukraine being involved,” Sherman said, clarifying, “Will not allow anyone” to slam the door shut when it comes to NATO or EU membership. Sherman said the “U.S. will not allow Russia to dictate how it cooperates with other sovereign states,” showing the inflexibility with Ukraine. Because Ukraine sits on Russia’s border, what’s hard for Sherman to see that Ukraine is a special case when it comes to NATO membership, something that threatens Russian national security. Why Sherman has drawn a line in the sand in Ukraine is unknown. Ukraine has no national security significance to the United States, a poor Black Sea country.
No one in the Biden White House can explain why the U.S. has taken such a hard line on the Russia Federation, threatening Putin with crippling economic sanctions if he invades Ukraine. But as Rybakov said, Russia has no intent or plans of invading Ukraine, a complete fabrication by Western officials and the press. “We do not trust the other side,” Rybakov said. “We need, ironclad, waterproof, bulletproof, legally binding guarantees—not assurances, not safeguards—guarantees with all the words,” spelling out that Ukraine cannot be part of NATO. Why Biden, Blinken and Sherman think that Ukraine is worth potentially destroying U.S.-Russia relations is anyone’s guess. All U.S. foreign policy must be done against a backdrop of what’s good for U.S. national security. Antagonizing Putin and potentially breaking off U.S.-Russian diplomatic relations would be a disaster of unprecedented proportions.
Sherman has shown she’s over her head, not up to the task of making the compromises necessary to de-escalate what could be a diplomatic fiasco of unprecedented proportions. “It’s real a very stark choice and one that I suspect only Mr. Putin, President Putin, can decide,” Sherman said arrogantly. “And we certainly urged Russia to “de-escalate, to create and environment that was conducive to the diplomatic track. But we will see.” Sherman should not be dictating ultimatums about how best to “de-escalate” the situation. Certainly Rybakov made clear that what goes on inside Russia’s borders is not subject to U.S. demands. Rybakov made clear if the U.S. side wished to “de-escalate,” come up with legal assurances that Ukraine will not join NATO. When you think about a fake crisis, Russia has done nothing other that station troops inside its border to discourage NATO from entering Ukraine.
