US And Russia Remain Poles Apart After Talks On Ukraine

Kremlin insists it has no intention of invading despite refusing to disperse its 100,000 troops from the border

- Kim Sengupta

The first round of talks in a crucial week for what will unfold in Ukraine ended with Russian and American diplomats discussing their differing positions without a breakthrough on some of the key issues that have pushed Europe to the edge of war.

The meeting in Geneva discussed the possibility of Russia and the west limiting military exercises and missile deployments. But the US rejected the Kremlin's demands that Ukraine never joins Nato and any further expansion of the alliance should be halted.

Russia insisted that it had no intention of invading Ukraine. But it rejected one of the principal demands by the US and Nato, that it disperses the military build-up on Ukraine's border of more than 100,000 troops. Movement of forces, armour and heavy artillery to the frontier, from as far back as Siberia, continues.

Wendy Sherman, the deputy US secretary of state leading the delegation, said she told Russia that it was a “nonstarter” adding: “We were firm in pushing back on security proposals that are simply non-starters for the United States. We will not allow anyone to slam close Nato's open-door policy.”