U.S. envoy warns of escalation amid 'drumbeat of war' in Russia tensions

Russian service members board a BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle during tactical combat exercises held by a motorised rifle division at the Kadamovsky range in the Rostov region, Russia December 10, 2021. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The West must prepare for the eventuality that there could be an escalation in tensions with Moscow, the U.S. envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said after talks with Russia in Vienna on Thursday, warning that "the drumbeat of war is sounding loud."

Russia said it was hitting a dead end https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-says-us-nato-talks-so-far-unsuccessful-2022-01-13 as it tried to persuade the West to bar Ukraine from joining NATO and roll back decades of alliance expansion in Europe.