NEW DELHI: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart Antony J. Blinken held talks to try to reduce the chance of a wider conflict in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister, in a statement, said: “We are grateful to you for your proposal to hold a meeting in Geneva in the context of the work that began on security guarantee proposals. 

“We are not expecting a breakthrough from this meeting either. What we are expecting are replies to our proposals,” Lavrov said, adding that we expect equally concrete replies, in line and in full conformity with the commitments assumed at the top level within the OSCE with regard to the indivisibility of security. These commitments state that no country should strengthen its security at the expense of any other country’s security. It would be interesting to hear how the United States interprets these commitments.

US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said, “All of us are equally committed to the path of diplomacy and dialogue to try to resolve our differences. But ae are also committed, if that proves impossible and Russia decides to pursue aggression against Ukraine, to a united, swift, and severe response.

“The United States and its allies and partners are standing together to expedite security assistance to Ukraine. We are utilizing all available security cooperation tools to help Ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of Russian aggression,” Blinken added.

The talks come in the wake of Russia’s possible aggression in Ukraine and US threats for sanctions if the Russian military takes action.