US says 'drumbeat of war sounding loud' after talks with Russia on Ukraine crisis: Report

Amid escalating tension between the United States and Russia over Ukraine, senior US officials held a meeting with Moscow on Thursday. According to a report by 9News, a senior US official has warned that the "drumbeat of war is sounding loud". The media report stated that the Russian officials were seen "frustrated" after concluding the series of meeting with the US officials. 

After the final round of negotiations, the Kremlin's diplomats told reporters their next step would be briefing Putin on the 'very disappointing' talks, the Daily Mail reported, citing Axios. "I do not see reasons to sit down in the coming days, to gather again and start these same discussions," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Thursday.

Notably, this was the third such meeting between US and Russian officials since Russia's troop buildup along the Ukraine border. According to US intelligence, around one lakh Russian troops have been pressed near the Ukraine border by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the forces have reportedly made all preparations to "invade Ukraine" this year-- a claim Moscow denied multiple times. Meanwhile, on Thursday, Ryabkov reiterated the talks had reached "a dead-end or a difference in approaches" because the US and NATO would not address Moscow's demands about Ukraine never joining NATO, according to a TASS News agency report.

'Drumbeat of war is sounding loud': US Ambassador to OSCE

Reacting to the statement of Ryabkov, US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Michael Carpenter said that the "drumbeat of war is sounding loud and the rhetoric has gotten rather shrill."

"We have to take this very seriously. We have to prepare for the eventuality that there could be an escalation," 9 News.com quoted Carpenter as saying during the presser.

Earlier on December 30, US President Joe Biden held a telephonic conversation with his Russian counterpart over ongoing tensions with Ukraine. During the conversation, President Biden warned Putin of imposing sanctions if he tried to invade or destabilise the incumbent Ukraine government. "President Biden urged Russia to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine. He made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine," read the statement released by White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Meanwhile, replying to President Biden, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Russia would act as the US would react if offensive weapons were deployed near American borders. Notably, this was the third time within a month that the leaders discussed the Ukraine issue. Earlier in the first week of this month, Biden and Putin held a video meeting over the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine.

(Image: AP)