Security talks between the United States and Russia are scheduled for January, but the exact location and timing have not been determined, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. She also said that the United States is not ready to agree with proposals that affect NATO, but may accept other initiatives.
Earlier, the presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow hopes to start negotiations in January 2022, and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke out about this during a big press conference.
“At the moment, there is no final agreement on the place and time,” said Ms. Psaki at the briefing.
She added that Washington would agree to some of Moscow’s proposals, but certainly not to some. “The NATO proposals are a good example,” said Ms Psaki.
According to Jen Psaki, “the facts clearly show that the only aggression that we see on the Russian-Ukrainian border is a military buildup by Russia.”
A previously unnamed spokesman for the US presidential administration, Joe Biden, said during a special briefing that Washington “continues to monitor the disturbing movements and deployment of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border” (quoted by The Hill). The official warned that the United States and its allies are preparing for serious action in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Proposals to provide legal guarantees of security from the United States and NATO were released on Friday, December 17. The presidents of Russia and the United States agreed on their development during an online summit held on December 7. Moscow’s main demand is to ban NATO from accepting post-Soviet countries. The US and NATO are willing to discuss Russian security assurances, but selectively.
For more details on the reaction to Moscow’s proposals, see the Kommersant article, Operation Against Degradation.
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