'We don't expect to resolve our differences here,' Antony Blinken said before meeting his Russian counterpart, and they didn't. But they bought some more time.
against Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime and lead to a"consequential" loss of Russian life.
It's about protecting democracy, and stopping Russia from turning its neighbors into puppet states, Blinken said this week. Blinken and Lavrov spoke separately after their talks in Geneva. Lavrov came to a podium first, saying he expected the United States to provide a clear, written response to all of its demands next week. He was dismissive of the U.S. and NATO's claims that Russia was poised to attack Ukraine, again insisting there were no such plans.
"He works like a terrorist — with nuclear weapons… but he's still a terrorist," Ukrainian political analyst Mykola Davydiuk told CBS News. "We want a normal life, how we want it, not anybody telling us what to do," said another local, Viktor. Before heading into their closed-door meeting, both Blinken and Lavrov played down expectations.