A White House official told AFP on Monday (December 27) that the United States and Russia will hold highly anticipated talks in January, and the two sides will negotiate nuclear arms control and tensions in Ukraine.
“The United States looks forward to engaging with Russia,” said a spokesperson for the National Security Council who asked not to be named.
“When we sit down and talk, Russia can put its worries on the table, and we will put our worries about Russian activities on the table.”
The spokesperson said that the bilateral talks are scheduled to take place on January 10.
The spokesperson added that representatives of Moscow and NATO are expected to meet on January 12, while Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), including the United States, will meet on January 13.
The January 10 meeting will be held as part of the strategic security dialogue initiative initiated by President Joe Biden of the United States and President Vladimir Putin of Russia at a summit in Geneva last June.
A senior White House official said that although this format is mainly to restore the nuclear arms control treaty after the Cold War, the talks will also involve the impasse in Ukraine, where Russia has deployed a large combat force. anonymous.
The NATO-Russia Council meeting and the talks between Moscow and the OSCE Permanent Council will focus on Ukraine.
Don’t cut ukraine
Western capitals accused Putin of threatening to invade Ukraine, which is the territory of the former Soviet Union, trying to break away from Moscow’s sphere of influence and eventually join the NATO alliance.
Russia has occupied a large area of Ukraine on the Crimean Peninsula and has been accused of inciting a separatist pro-Moscow rebellion in the country’s eastern industrial zone.
Russia has deployed tens of thousands of new troops to the border, sparking concerns about a wider war between Kiev and its Western allies, which may include further seizure of Ukrainian territory.
Putin denied plans to attack neighboring countries, saying that the troop movement was to protect Russia from Western troops.
This month, he put forward a series of far-reaching security requirements to Western countries, including a ban on Ukraine from joining NATO.
In response, the United States and its European partners threatened to impose severe economic sanctions if Russia invaded Ukraine, and also offered to hold negotiations.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council said that any agreement with Russia will not ignore Ukraine’s interests.
The negotiations will include “without our allies and partners, including Ukraine, our allies and partners,” the spokesperson said.
“President Biden’s attitude towards Ukraine is clear and consistent: unite the alliance on two tracks-deterrence and diplomacy. We are united as a coalition regarding the consequences that Russia will face if it takes action against Ukraine,” the spokesperson Added.
“But we are also willing to engage in principled diplomacy with Russia.”
There is no direct information on who will represent both parties on January 10.
