2 year agoMilitary echelon at Zilovo
2 year agoAccording to American officials, Russia has just under 60 BTGs "on the ground" (presumably, near Ukraine). They also report Russia has positioned additional "Attack and transport helicopters, along with ground attack fighter jets"
2 year agoMilitary loading into echelons at Ulan-Ude
2 year agoMore NOTAMs, active from tomorrow: Otreshkovo Training Ground - Kursk, where 6th CAA elements are encamped. Pogonovo Training Ground - Voronezh, where 1st GTA elements are encamped
2 year agoA two-part NOTAM, issued for the training ground near Unecha, NW of Klintsy - Bryansk Oblast on the 14th. This indicates possible exercise activity there
This wasn't a negotiation and was not intended to reach a decisive decision, @StateDeptSpox says. When pressed, he says U.S. and Russian officials made an agreement to talk again in the coming days to see what's next
2 year agoOn #GenevaTalks, @StateDeptSpox said the discussions were preliminary and for the US and Russia to come with "viable, practical, reciprocal ideas." "We did not intend this to be a forum where certainly decisions were reached" or "any breakthroughs could be achieved”
The Biden administration quietly authorized an additional $200 million in security assistance to Ukraine in late December amid a Russian troop buildup along Ukraine's borders that has sparked fears of a renewed invasion, 4 sources tell @kylieatwood @NatashaBertrand & @MarquardtA
The Pentagon: A US military delegation visited Ukraine recently and studied ways to activate its missile defense capabilities
"We've seen no major changes to the force posture by the Russians" around Ukraine, per @PentagonPresSec, - "We have not seen any decreases. They continue to have a sizable force posture." he says
Russia has no confidence that the US and NATO will honor agreements on legally binding security guarantees even if adopted, Ryabkov said
Ryabkov: 'We know that legally binding guarantees are a complex technical matter that may require ratification and will take time. But that's a secondary matter. We do not even see political will to move on this issue'
Ryabkov: 'I would like to underscore that the question of non expansion of NATO in legally binding form is top priority for us. We didn't hear anything about our top priority. That's the problem we are facing now'
Ryabkov on Iranian JCPOA talks. 'The talks are ongoing. We think the chance of getting an agreement are increasing. All parties are demonstrating their willingness to find a solution'
The Russian Federation will continue the exercises on its territory, no matter how NATO objects, - Ryabkov said
Sherman on whether Russia's draft proposals were designed to be rejected or a serious opening bid: "The Russians would tell you they were an opening bid for serious negotiation - and we will see if that is indeed the case"
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman says that Kazakhstan did not come up in her discussions with the Russian delegation today
Sherman denies Russian statements that US agreed on rejecting Ukraine's admission to NATO: "We will not agree that any country should have a veto over any other country when it comes to being part of the NATO alliance. NATO has its own processes for that"
"I don't think we know the answer to that," says @DeputySecState says when asked if there was an indication that Russia is prepared to de-escalate situation with Ukraine
Sherman says it's not clear if today's talks dissuaded Russia from a potential invasion of Ukraine. "We will see whether in fact Russia understands that the best way to pursue diplomacy" is to de-escalate, she says
Important for European NATO allies: US @DeputySecState Sherman says there was no discussion of US troop levels/positioning in today's #GenevaTalks
"One doesn't send 100,000 troops just to exercise," Deputy Sec State Sherman says, all on the border with Ukraine
.@DeputySecState Sherman says in today's #GenevaTalks, Russia reiterated it does "not intend to invade [Ukraine]; these are just exercises" on the border. She reminded her counterpart such exercises must be (and were not) notified in advance, inviting Moscow to pull troops back
Rybakov said Russia would decide next steps only after NRC & OSCE meetings, so a walk-out seems unlikely before then. He also said the US side approached Russia's concerns "very seriously"
Briefing journalists after the session, Sherman underscores that "it is on Russia to de-escalate tensions" and that Moscow must now make decisions on what happens next
"We've been clear, and we were clear today, that the U.S. would welcome genuine progress through diplomacy," Sherman says. "But if Russia walks away from the diplomatic path, it may well be quite apparent that they were never serious about pursuing diplomacy at all
"If Russia stays at the table and take concrete steps to de-escalate tensions, we believe we can achieve progress," Wendy Sherman now on Ukraine. Sherman traveling to Brussels tomorrow to meet NATO
Sherman says talks included discussion of eg missile placement but that many Russian demands are non-negotiable, such as shutting the door to NATO membership for aspiring allies
"We will not allow anyone to slam closed NATO's open-door policy," Sherman adds, "We will not forego bilateral cooperation with sovereign states that wish to work with the United States
U.S., per Sherman, also expressed an openness to discussing ways to "set reciprocal limits on the size and scope of military exercises, and to improve transparency about those exercises"
