Russia-NATO Council on security guarantees to start after talks with US
Russian diplomats and military officials will meet with US officials to discuss the security guarantees Moscow seeks from Washington in the midst of simmering tensions between the two countries over Ukraine.
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Russian-US talks on security guarantees in Geneva.
The first meeting since 2019 between high-level delegations from NATO and Russia on security guarantees in Europe will take place at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, January 12, to exchange concerns over security issues.
The meeting comes after the US-Russia talks in Geneva held on Monday. The meeting will start at 09:00 GMT and will be followed by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's press conference at around 13:30 GMT.
The issues of arms control, European security, and military transparency are a priority on the meeting’s agenda. Both sides have declared that they have several issues and concerns to discuss and that their stances will be strict.
The council will be chaired by Stoltenberg. The US delegation to the NATO-Russia Council will be headed by Deputy Secretary of Defense Wendy Sherman while Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov is expected to head the Russian delegation.
Russian-US talks in Geneva
After the meeting on Monday, the US expressed their assurance that a compromise on offensive missiles can be found with Moscow. The dialogue on the size and scope of military exercises and on improving transparency about those exercises may also lead to some compromises.
The sides are not expecting to solve all issues in one meeting. Russia has stated that the upcoming council will show whether consultations with NATO are substantial and whether this practice shall continue. NATO stated that Russia going for the dialogue is a "positive sign" and "an opportunity for Moscow to show it is serious about dialogue and diplomacy."
The NATO-Russia Council will be followed by consultations with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna on Thursday, January 13.
Al Mayadeen's Geneva correspondent reported that talks between Moscow and Washington have begun after the Russian team, led by Sergei Ryabkov, arrived at the US mission's headquarters to begin bilateral talks with the US team led by Wendy Sherman.
Our correspondent said the meeting discussed tensions between the two parties in light of the Ukraine crisis.
Sherman had met Ryabkov in Geneva on Sunday, where they discussed the bilateral issues both sides will talk over during the Strategic Stability dialogue on Monday.
Russia drafts security guarantees
In December, Russia presented draft agreements on security guarantees in Europe to the United States and NATO. These guarantees include legal obligations that NATO will refrain from advancing eastwards and accepting new members from the former Soviet Union, especially Ukraine and Georgia, as these have expressed their desire to join NATO, as well as to refrain from creating NATO military bases on the territories of former Soviet countries. Another proposal is the non-deployment of short- and intermediate-range missiles in the region.
NATO has already responded to some proposals, stating that Moscow cannot dictate whether Ukraine or other countries can join the bloc, and said that it was not ready to discuss such issues without Kyiv.
The US also reiterated that decision, saying that it will not allow NATO's "Open Door" policy to be slammed shut. Nevertheless, some positive attitudes after the US-Russia talks may be projected for the upcoming meeting.
