Russia and the United States have agreed to hold talks on January 10 on Ukraine and security in Europe, with Moscow ruling out in advance any “concessions” on its demands to limit Western influence at its borders.
At the top of the Russian demands, formulated in draft treaties handed over to the United States and NATO, is the ban on any future expansion of the Atlantic Alliance and any military cooperation in what Russia considers its area. influence.
“January 10 will be the main day for the Russian-American bilateral consultations” scheduled in Geneva, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov told Tass news on Tuesday, saying that an agreement will not be found in “a single day ”.
Shortly before, a spokesperson for the National Security Council of the United States had told AFP that the negotiations on 10 would be followed on 12 January by a NATO-Russia meeting.
Finally, according to this source, January 13 is scheduled for a round of discussions within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), founded during the Cold War to promote East-West dialogue.
“Firm position”
“When we sit down to discuss, Russia will be able to put its concerns on the table and we will put ours on the table, in particular the activities of Russia,” added the spokesperson for the National Security Council of the States. United.
A sign that these discussions will be bitter, the head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lavrov has already ruled out any “concession”, affirming that Moscow was “in a firm position with regard to the defense of (its) interests”.
These talks aim to de-escalate tensions around Ukraine, with Kiev and its Western allies accusing Moscow of having massed tens of thousands of soldiers on its border in anticipation of a possible invasion.
Moscow denies any belligerent inclination and presents itself on the contrary as the target of “provocations” from the West who support Ukraine politically and militarily.
The Kremlin is calling for “security guarantees”, in particular NATO’s commitment not to expand into the former USSR, notably Ukraine.
“What we need to talk about are proposals submitted by the Russian side,” insisted Mr. Riabkov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week brandished the threat of “military and technical” measures if his demands were not heard.
In reaction to a pro-Western revolution, Russia already annexed part of Ukraine’s territory, Crimea, in 2014. She is also widely regarded as the godfather of pro-Russian separatists in the conflict that has been tearing apart the east of the country for almost eight years.
Bilateral talks on January 10 will be held as part of the strategic security dialogue launched by Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Poutin at their Geneva summit last June.
Although this format is mainly devoted to the renegotiation of post-Cold War nuclear arms control treaties, the discussions will also concern the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border, said a senior official in the US executive wishing to remain anonymous. .
Meetings with NATO and OSCE should be of particular concern to Ukraine.
“Unacceptable” requests
In a move that breaks with the generally confidential nature of diplomatic discussions, Russia recently presented two draft treaties to prevent any expansion of the Atlantic Alliance, notably to Ukraine, and to end Western military activities near the borders. Russian.
Washington said it was “ready to discuss” these documents, while stressing that they understood “certain things that the Russians know unacceptable”.
Any agreement with Russia would take Ukrainian interests into account, the spokesperson for the National Security Council said on Monday.
“Nothing that concerns our allies and partners” will be negotiated “without our allies and partners, including Ukraine”, he insisted.
“President Biden’s approach to Ukraine has been clear and consistent: to bring the (Atlantic) Alliance together in two directions, deterrence and diplomacy,” he said.
The identities of the people who will lead the January 10 negotiations on both sides have not been made public.