Russian-US security talks to be held on Jan. 10 in Geneva

MOSCOW

Russia-US talks on security guarantees will be held on Jan. 10 in Geneva, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman announced on Thursday.

The Russian delegation will be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and the US team by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Maria Zakharova told a weekly news conference in Moscow.

“This date doesn't have any alternatives at the moment. The agenda includes a discussion of two Russian drafts of fundamental documents submitted to the United States from Russia on Dec. 15 -- the treaty between the Russian Federation and the US on security guarantees and the agreement on measures to ensure the security of the Russian Federation and the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” she said.

Russia will seek firm legal guarantees for the non-movement of NATO to the east and the non-deployment of weapons systems threatening Russia at the country’s borders, she stressed.

Zakharova noted that NATO and the EU do not have a common view regarding Russia’s proposal, the reaction is “different every time,” and this also relates to the statement of EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who called Russia’s security demands “unacceptable.”

Last month, Putin called on NATO to start talks aiming to provide Russia with reliable, legally binding, and long-term security guarantees.

On Dec. 15, Yury Ushakov, the presidential advisor on foreign policy issues, announced that Russia handed the draft of its proposals to the US and NATO, and two days later, the Russian Foreign Ministry published the text of the draft agreements.