The United States will continue to coordinate with allies to resolve the situation around Ukraine through diplomacy. This statement was made by the Assistant to the President of the United States for National Security Jake Sullivan in a telephone conversation with the Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation for Foreign Policy Yuri Ushakov on Wednesday, December 15.
This conversation was the development of a conversation between the Presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, which took place via video link on December 7.
During the conversation, Sullivan also expressed US concern over the presence of Russian military forces near the border with Ukraine.
“Mr. Sullivan reiterated our grave concern about the Russian military build-up on the border with Ukraine and stressed that the United States will continue to closely coordinate (action) with European allies and partners, seeking to address security and strategic issues through diplomacy.” the message published on the White House website following the results of the conversation.
Also, the press service of the White House said that US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried will consult with NATO allies in Brussels on December 16 on the development of a coordinated approach.
On December 15, a Izvestia source close to the negotiations said that Karen Donfried and Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia Dmitry Kozak agreed to continue cooperation on the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. As Donfried noted, her meetings in Moscow were in line with the establishment of predictable and stable relations between Washington and Moscow.
Also, the US Assistant Secretary of State met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. According to the Russian ministry, the parties discussed the issue of security guarantees “in the light of the ongoing attempts by the United States and NATO to change the military-political situation in Europe in their favor.”
Before her visit to Moscow, Donfried visited Kiev, where she also held a number of meetings. After the Russian capital, the US Assistant Secretary of State is expected to travel to Brussels, where consultations with the US partners in the EU and NATO will take place on December 15-16.