Russia expects quick results from security talks with the US
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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov says that his country wants "quick results" in the scheduled negotiations with Washington and NATO over the proposed Russian security guarantees.
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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that "The president said the result is needed immediately and that's not a figure of speech.”
Ryabkov was referring to the talks with Washington and NATO on the security guarantees proposed by Moscow regarding the Ukraine crisis.
The US agreed to the talks after Russia amassed thousands of tanks and troops near Ukraine's border in response to escalation from the Ukrainian side and NATO's encroachment.
President Vladimir Putin demanded that NATO provide binding assurances that it would halt eastward expansion and withdraw completely from Russia's borders, terms that the US and its allies have already stated are unacceptable.
“I hope this is just a negotiating tactic,” Ryabkov said of the tough public stance of the US. He asserted that he hopes to assess the prospects for future diplomacy based on "the extent to which our American colleagues are receptive to our demands" during the talks next week.
According to him, whether senior US military officials join the delegation will be a key indicator of Western seriousness, as Moscow is sending top military representatives. Wendy Sherman, Deputy Secretary of State, leads the US delegation.
Russian-American negotiations on security proposals are scheduled in Geneva on January 10, followed by the discussion of the Russian proposals on January 12 at the meeting of the Russia-NATO Council, which will be held in particular in Brussels, and on January 13 at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna.
