In a broadcast aired Monday, Russia’s top diplomat indicated that negotiations with the West over Ukraine were “far from exhausted.” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov appeared on air with Vladimir Putin in what seemed to be, according to The New York Times, a scripted discussion about Russia’s military presence at the border of Ukraine. NATO forces have so far denied Putin’s request that Ukraine be forever banned from joining the Western alliance, but have offered to negotiate issues of nuclear arms control and military exercises. During the broadcast, Lavrov proposed “continuing and intensifying” negotiations with the West, to which Putin replied “Good.” Per the Times, the televised discussion could indicate that Russia’s militaristic threats may be a pressure tactic on the West rather than an imminent challenge to Ukraine.
