Russia remains open but ‘not optimistic’ over Ukraine talks

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Russia has said it is willing to continue talks with the US over European security, but is not optimistic about their prospects after Washington and Nato allies again rejected a key part of Russia’s proposed new order for post cold-war security.

Tensions have soared in recent weeks as Russia massed more than 100,000 soldiers and heavy weapons at its border with Ukraine, raising fears of an invasion.

On Thursday, Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said “there isn’t much reason to be optimistic” after the US and Nato rejected Moscow’s demands for a veto on Ukraine’s potential membership of Nato in a co-ordinated response the day before.

Moscow needed time to analyse the US document and would not “rush into assessments”, Peskov added.

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said Moscow’s main concern – the potential for Ukraine to join Nato – had not been addressed, but there was hope “for the start of a serious conversation on secondary issues”.

“There is no positive response in this document on the main issue,” he said.

One of Lavrov’s spokespeople appeared to rule out war with Ukraine, in comments that led to a jump in the value of the Russian rouble, as investors gained confidence that conflict could be avoided.

“We have already repeatedly stated that our country does not intend to attack anyone. We consider even the thought of a war between our people to be unacceptable,” said Alexei Zaitsev, a spokesman for the foreign ministry.

The focus turns again to Putin, who is yet to voice his response and is being briefed on the document.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, gave an upbeat assessment on the latest diplomatic moves, noting that his diplomats would meet counterparts from Russia, Germany and France in two weeks’ time in Berlin. Diplomats from the four countries met in Paris on Wednesday and agreed to continue talking.

Ukraine has been seeking to downplay reports of an imminent attack by Russia. One of Zelenskiy’s aides told Reuters the borderline “hysteria” about a Russian attack was hindering Kyiv’s attempts to borrow on international capital markets. Struggling to access private funds, Ukraine intends to seek $5bn in loans from governments and international institutions.

On a visit to Copenhagen, seeking to marshal support from Nato member Denmark, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dymytro Kuleba, gave his approval of the US response to Russia. Ukraine, he said, had seen it before it was hand-delivered to Russia’s embassy in Washington.

Kuleba emphasised his country’s need for stronger defences and a unified position from the west on economic sanctions.

“This crisis is a moment of truth, and this is why we speak about weapons,” he said. “This is why we speak about economic sanctions. This is why we speak about the consolidated position of all of us, so that President Putin sees that there are no weak links in our defensive chain.”

Pressure on Russia grew after Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, gave a strong indication that the Nord Steam 2 gas pipeline would be part of the sanctions package if Moscow ordered an invasion. “We are working on a strong package of sanctions” with western allies, and it covers several aspects “including Nord Stream 2”, Baerbock told the Bundestag.

Her statement came soon after the US State Department said the pipeline would not move forward if Russia invades Ukraine. The pipeline connecting Russia and Germany was completed last September but regulatory approval is still pending.

Baerbock reaffirmed that Germany would not lift its export ban on weapons, despite pressure from allies.

Germany faced criticism from the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, who described Berlin’s offer to send 5,000 military helmets as a joke.