US, Russia to discuss arms control

According to AFP, the US and Russia are scheduled to hold discussions on January 10 centered around the situation in Ukraine, as well as arms control.

The Russian Foreign Ministry revealed that it proposed a draft on December 15 regarding bilateral measures and security proposals.

The proposals would prohibit the United States and its allies from establishing military facilities on the territory of Ukraine, Georgia, and other ex-Soviet republics that are not NATO members.

Russia's proposal also includes a commitment not to install intermediate-range missiles in locations where they may target the opposing party's territory, a provision that follows the United States and Russia's departure from a Cold War-era treaty prohibiting such weapons.

Russia hopes to receive concrete answers from the United States to its security guarantee proposals in January 2022, Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Peskov said in a press statement that there are no specific deadlines (for the US and NATO response), and Russia hopes to get one as soon as possible. 

Russia-Nato to meet January 12 

According to a representative for the US National Security Council, a meeting between Russia and NATO is scheduled for January 12.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg previously revealed that a NATO-Russia Council meeting will be held on January 12. According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, the conference would focus on Russia's security proposals and the organization's non-expansion, considering that the highlights of the document include NATO pledges that it will not offer membership to Ukraine.

The proposals would obligate Washington and its allies to suspend NATO's eastward expansion to include other ex-Soviet countries and to renege on a 2008 pledge to admit Ukraine and Georgia.

On his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that Moscow pursues a peaceful foreign policy but has the right to defend its security in the medium and long terms.

Russia reps and OSCE to meet January 13 

According to a member of the US National Security Council, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) are scheduled to meet on January 13.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed earlier that the security proposals would be brought to the forefront of the discussion with the OSCE.

On the sidelines of a December 2 meeting for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Stockholm, Lavrov noted that concerning rising tensions in Europe on the borders, especially between Russia and Ukraine, Russia's stance is well-known, and it is - as President Putin put it - that Russia wants no struggle, he said.

"And let's not forget, of course, the proclaimed principle of indivisibility and security, including in the OSCE, in the NATO Council of Russia, which says that no one has the right to strengthen their security at the expense of the security of others. And the further advance of NATO to the East will definitely affect the fundamental interests of our security," Lavrov said.