Tension between Ukraine and Russia continues to escalate, as the United States and other NATO allies continue to make progress through diplomatic channels. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that his office formally responded to Russian demands regarding Ukraine through a letter.
“We’re not releasing the document publicly because we think that diplomacy has the best chance to succeed if we provide space for confidential talks,” Blinken said. “It remains up to Russia to decide how to respond. We’re ready either way.”
New: As expected, Kremlin says U.S. written responses ignored Russia's main NATO demand.
Putin will now take time to analyze the papers, but there is "not much cause for optimism," a spokesman said. https://t.co/UXimhAr74w
— Zach Basu (@zacharybasu) January 27, 2022
Thursday morning, a Kremlin spokesperson told reporters Russian officials are looking at the letter, but that there is “not much cause for optimism.”