US, Russia prepare for bilateral talks on Ukraine, security on January 10

LAST UPDATE: 08.58

Washington and Moscow are preparing to negotiate on January 10 on issues ranging from tensions in Ukraine to security concerns and nuclear weapons control, the White House said. diplomacy limited itself to confirming that date is being considered, but without the appointment being finalized.

A spokesman for the US presidency’s National Security Council gave the date to the press, assuring that the US was “willing to enter into a dialogue with Russia” and adding that a Russia-NATO summit on January 12 and a meeting between Russia and Russia could follow. the other members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), of which the United States is a member, on 13 January.

For his part, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the Russian news agency Sputnik that “I can confirm that these dates are being considered, but there is no final agreement yet,” adding that Moscow had sent concrete proposals to Washington on the agenda. , but the American side seems to see things differently.

“Some anonymous US officials are talking about a discussion about Ukraine, as well as about arms control. What kind of arms control are we talking about?” Ryabkov asked.

Russia is urging the United States and NATO to pledge that Ukraine will not become a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which from Moscow’s point of view would pose a threat to its national security.

For a month, Westerners have been accusing Russia of mobilizing troops on its border with Ukraine and possibly plotting military action against Kiev. Moscow denies this; it counters that it is threatened by the “challenges” of Ukraine and NATO, demanding that the latter commit itself not to expand further into the former Soviet Union.

In a gesture that broke the generally confidential nature of diplomatic talks, Russia recently announced two draft treaties, one aimed at preventing NATO enlargement, in particular Ukraine’s accession to the Atlantic Alliance, and the second the cessation of all Western military activity near the Russian border.

For his part, the US official who spoke to reporters earlier hinted that the January talks would be part of the so-called strategic dialogue, which was agreed to begin during a meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin in .

“When we sit down at the table to discuss, Russia will put its own concerns on the table, and we will put our own,” said a spokesman for the US National Security Council, stressing that no decision would be made on Ukraine. without Ukraine.

SOURCE: AMPE