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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: US Russia (TV)
HEADLINE: Russia Lays Out 'Nonstarter' Demands Ahead of Talks With US
TEASER: US Secretary of State responds to Russian talking points ahead of the first round of meetings, which begin Monday
PUBLISHED: 1/7/2022 at
BYLINE: Patsy Widakuswara
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER:
PRODUCER:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Tom Turco
CONTRIBUTOR: Myroslava Gongadze
VIDEO SOURCE (S): AP, AFP, Skype
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT:
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE: TV
EDITOR NOTES: Radio track included.))
[[INTRO:
Talks between U.S. and Russian diplomats will begin Monday in Geneva after a weekslong standoff over Russian troop deployments near its border with Ukraine. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this preview.]]
((Russian military drills near Ukrainian border, AP 4358768))
((NARRATOR))
Russian military exercises and troop deployment on the Ukrainian border will be the backdrop of U.S.-Russia talks Monday in Geneva, led by
((GFX))
((NARRATOR))
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
((Various Kremlin, AP 4359433, NATO HQ, AFP V045_9L36GF))
((NARRATOR))
Moscow has laid out sweeping demands, including that NATO reduce its presence in Eastern Europe and not admit Ukraine as a member — demands unacceptable to the U.S. and Europe.
[[Radio track: U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken]]
((MRT Clip))
((Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State))
“That's certainly part of the playbook, to put out a list of absolutely nonstarter demands and then to claim that the other side is not engaging and then to use that somehow as justification for aggressive action. But the fact of the matter is, Russia knows well what is a nonstarter. But there are also areas, there are also subjects, there are also issues where we can engage, we can have dialogue, we can see if we can improve everyone's overall security.”
((AP video of satellite images: AP-4358765))
((NARRATOR))
Russia says it is not preparing to invade Ukraine, its ex-Soviet neighbor,
((Russian military drills near Ukrainian border, AP 4358768))
and insists that NATO’s expansion is a threat to its security.
[[Radio track: Russian president Vladimir Putin]]
((AP 4358636, TC 1:10))
((Vladimir Putin, Russian President)) ((Russian, needs English VO))
"’Not one inch to the East' is what we were told in the 1990s. And what happened? We were duped. We were brazenly duped.”
((Ukrainian soldier launching bazooka, AFP V000_9V74RC, TC 0:16))
((Natsound bazooka))
((Ukrainian soldiers training, AFP V000_9V74RC, TC 0:16))
((NARRATOR))
The first round of talks will likely be more an airing of grievances and unlikely to produce certainty on Ukraine.
[[Radio track: John Tefft, Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia and Ukraine, via Skype]]
((https://app.frame.io/player/f05e39c7-b6d9-46eb-b073-52b68dd33aea TC 10:46))
((John Tefft, Former US Ambassador to Russia and Ukraine)) ((Skype??))
“When it comes down to Ukraine, I don't think anyone knows exactly what President Putin has in mind. I think the Biden administration has done its best to not only rally the allies to coordinate policy, to signal to Russia its intent to impose pretty draconian sanctions much more than we've done in the past.”
((Almaty protests, AFP V000_9VL83H))
((NARRATOR))
As Putin tries to keep focus on Ukraine, anti-government protests in Kazakhstan, another Russian neighbor, have killed dozens and injured hundreds.
((Russian troops loading up, AFP V000_9VN4J8))
((NARRATOR))
Moscow has sent forces to help crack down on the unrest, in response to a request by Kazakh President …
((Tokayef, AFP V000_9VQ4CR))
((NARRATOR))
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. It’s not clear why Tokayef asked for Moscow’s help, Secretary Blinken told VOA.
((Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State))
“Having said that, I think one lesson in recent history is that once Russians are in your house, it’s sometimes very difficult to get them to leave.”
((American troops in Poland, AFP V000_VID620194_EN, TC 0:35 onwards))
((NARRATOR))
The White House has denied reporting that it’s developing options to withdraw U.S. forces in Eastern Europe ahead of the talks. Following the Geneva meeting,
((NATO HQ, AFP V045_9L36GF))
((NARRATOR))
NATO and the Russia Council will meet in Brussels January 12,
((Various of Vienna, AFP V000_VID328038_EN))
((NARRATOR))
and broader-format talks — which include the U.S., NATO, Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet states — will continue in Vienna on January 13th.
Patsy Widakuswara, VOA News, Washington.
NewsML Media TopicsPolitics
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJanuary 7, 2022 20:16 EST
Brand / Language ServiceUS Agency for Global Media
