Published December 04, 2015
Ukraine is seeking to pacify Russia even as the U.S. prepares a new round of sanctions to punish Moscow for what Washington says are Russian efforts to foment unrest in the former Soviet state.
The carrot-and-stick strategy emerged as diplomats from Ukraine, the U.S., the European Union and Russia prepared to meet Thursday for the first time over the burgeoning crisis that threatens to roil the new government in Kiev.
Russia also appears to be honing a strategy to push the West as far as possible without provoking crippling sanctions against its financial and energy sectors or a military confrontation with NATO.
Obama administration officials played down any expectations that the meetings in Geneva would yield a breakthrough or Russian concessions meaningful enough to avoid new U.S. penalties.
https://www.foxnews.com/world/aiming-to-de-escalate-military-tensions-with-russia-us-and-ukraine-try-carrot-stick-approach