Russia, at an Impasse With the West, Warns It Is Ready to Abandon Diplomacy

Anton Troianovski and David E. Sanger / The New York Times

Russian tanks taking part in drills at a firing range in the Rostov region, near the border with Ukraine, on Wednesday. (photo: AP) 14 January 22

In a third round of talks on Eastern European security this week, both Kremlin and American officials sounded an increasingly pessimistic note.

Russian officials signaled on Thursday that they might abandon diplomatic efforts to resolve the security crisis surrounding Ukraine, bringing a whirlwind week of European diplomacy to an ominous end and deflating hopes that negotiators could forge a path toward easing tensions in Eastern Europe.

One senior Russian diplomat said that talks with the West were approaching a “dead end,” while another said the Kremlin would wait until it received written responses to its demands from Washington and from NATO next week before deciding how to proceed.

It was clear that Russia’s next move would be up to President Vladimir V. Putin, who, his spokesman said on Thursday, was being briefed regularly this week on negotiations with the West.

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