Russian diplomat predicts ‘difficult’ week of talks with US over Ukraine

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov has predicted a difficult week of talks with the US (Thomas Peter/Pool Photo via AP, File)

A top Russian diplomat predicted “difficult” talks with the United States this week after attending a working dinner with US officials in Geneva on Sunday as part of the kick-off to a string of meetings in three European cities this week, with bilateral ties at a low over Russia’s military build-up near Ukraine.

Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, and other Russian officials met for over two hours with US deputy Secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, the head of the US delegation, and her team at the luxury residence of the US ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament that overlooks Lake Geneva.