Russia 'disappointed' by US, Belgium ahead of talks
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Moscow accuses Washington, ahead of the Geneva talks, of lacking the understanding of "what we need."
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Russia and the United States will meet in Geneva to discuss Moscow-proposed security guarantees.
Moscow is "disappointed" with what Washington and Brussels have been saying ahead of the security talks in Geneva, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik on Sunday.
"I can say that we are somewhat disappointed by the signals that have been heard over the past few days from Washington and Brussels," the Deputy Foreign Minister said.
"In a nutshell, they reflect a lack of understanding of what we need. What we need is legal guarantees, binding guarantees of NATO not expanding any further, liquidation of all that the alliance has created by following anti-Russia phobias and misconceptions about the essence of Russian policies since 1997," the diplomat said.
Russia and the United States will meet in Geneva to discuss Moscow-proposed security guarantees on Sunday and Monday. Following these talks, a Russia-NATO council will meet in Brussels, and consultations with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe will take place in Vienna.
Russia refuses to give in to US pressure ahead of talks
The diplomat stated that the "unilateral approach prompted by the US and NATO cannot be the basis for the discussion on security guarantees", adding "Russia is highly likely to see in Geneva that the US and NATO do not want to really understand Moscow's point of view."
Ryabkov told Sputnik that Moscow would not cave in to Washington's pressure or make all the concessions.
"Unfortunately, we have been hearing all kinds of speculations about what Russia must do and steps it must take. We have repeatedly responded to this approach at all levels. It cannot serve as a basis for a productive discussion, let alone an agreement," he said in an interview.
In Geneva, Ryabkov will meet with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to discuss Russia's security proposals for the US and NATO. Moscow wants legally binding assurances from NATO that it will not expand eastward.
According to a senior Russian diplomat, it is "highly probable that we will have to deal with the US and NATO's unwillingness to actually hear our demands."
"But we will, of course, make no concessions under the constant pressure and threats coming from the Western side of the upcoming negotiations," Ryabkov said, adding concessions under duress were "entirely impossible".
"This would mean going against our own interests, our security interests," he explained.
During a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin last week, US President Joe Biden reiterated that the US and its European allies would impose "unprecedented" sanctions if Russia invaded Ukraine, to which Putin responded that the sanctions could lead to a "complete breakdown in relations."
