Russia ties nuclear arms talks with US to security demands
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A senior Russian diplomat says the arms control talks with the US will depend on how talks on Moscow's security demands progress.
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Blinken and Lavrov move to their seats before their meeting, on January 21, 2022, in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP)
The outcome of the negotiations between Moscow and Washington on Russia's security demands will determine the fate of the nuclear arms control talks.
Russia has repeatedly expressed concerns about NATO's attempts to expand eastward and asked NATO to pledge that Kyiv would not be allowed to join the alliance. Moscow has also amassed close to 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine and sent troops to Belarus to conduct joint exercises as well as tensions soar. Russia has repeatedly denied Western allegations about its intention to invade Ukraine.
The head of Vladimir Yermakov, the head of nuclear non-proliferation and controls at the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the talks on Russia's security guarantees have taken priority over the arms control talks, with no meeting being agreed upon for the latter.
Macron flies to Moscow to hold talks with Putin on Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron will fly today Monday to Russia, as part of a diplomatic move to defuse the situation with Ukraine, amid NATO's attempts to expand eastward in Europe.
Macron has been making phone calls with Western allies, Putin, and Ukraine's Zelensky over the past week. After his visit to Russia on Monday, Macron will visit Ukraine on Tuesday.
Two sources close to Macron reported, according to Reuters, that one aim of the visit was to buy time for several months until after the April elections in Europe, which may see a change in Hungary, Slovenia, and France.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
