Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov praised the talks with US representatives in Geneva on security guarantees. He spoke about this at a press conference following the talks, the broadcast was conducted on Youtube-channel RT.
7.5 hours
negotiations between representatives of Russia and the United States in Geneva lasted
According to the deputy head of the department, the conversation with the American side was difficult.
The conversation was difficult, long, very professional, deep and specific. Without trying to embellish something, go around sharp corners
Also, following the talks, Ryabkov said that the countries had failed to agree on the non-expansion of NATO to the East, calling this issue a key issue for Russia’s national security.
This is a question of Russian national security … The situation is so dangerous that we can no longer afford to postpone this fundamental issue.
According to him, no progress has been made on this issue. At the same time, the topic of obtaining legal guarantees regarding the non-expansion of NATO provoked “serious objections” from the United States. Ryabkov also said that during negotiations with the American side on security guarantees, Russia assured its partners from the United States that the Kremlin has no plans to attack Ukraine. He reminded diplomats that the maneuvers of Russian troops are being conducted within the territorial borders of Russia.
I read with interest an article in the New York Times today, which essentially says that Russia wants to trade “Russia’s threat to Ukraine” for greater negotiating flexibility from the US and the West. This is not the case, because we have no intention of invading Ukraine, and therefore we have nothing to bargain with.
In addition, Ryabkov said that Russia is concerned about possible joint provocations from Kiev and Western countries such as the United States, Great Britain and others. During the press conference, the Deputy Foreign Minister spoke about Ukraine’s membership in NATO. According to him, Russia wants to exclude the possibility of Georgia and Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Alliance.
Related materials:
How did you assess the negotiations in the United States?
Washington wanted to continue negotiations with Moscow on the issues that were outlined at the meeting of the delegations of the two countries in Geneva. State Department spokesman Ned Price announced this at a briefing.
We are ready to continue discussions with Russia on the bilateral issues that we outlined at today’s meeting – as long as they are of a practical nature.
First Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, in turn, said that Russia and the United States did not set a time frame for negotiations on complex issues. She added that the United States is aware that discussion of such topics can take a significant amount of time. According to her, the discussion held in Geneva was only an initial stage and will require continuation.
Negotiations on complex issues like arms control cannot be completed in a matter of days or even weeks
Following the talks, Sherman also revealed the reason for the destruction of the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles (INF Treaty) with Russia. “The Russian side touched upon the concerns that we have and which led to the destruction of the treaty on intermediate and shorter-range missiles … These concerns concerned Russian medium-range missiles, they remain,” she stressed.
Related materials:
According to Sherman, the restoration of the INF Treaty was not discussed at the talks, the United States only presented ideas. She noted that there is still a “long way to go”, but this topic can be discussed in negotiations and progress on it is possible. “We need to see if actions are possible on both sides that will increase our security,” she concluded.
Also, the First Under Secretary of State of the United States clarified that Western countries will impose collective sanctions against Russia in the event of its invasion of Ukraine.
We stand ready, in coordination with our partners and allies, to charge this harsh price. The price will include financial sanctions. It was reported that these sanctions will affect key financial institutions, including export controls that target key industries.
The negotiations lasted almost 8 hours
The meeting began on Monday, January 10th at 9:00 am local time. The Russian delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, and the American delegation was led by US First Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. It was assumed that the main topics of the consultations will be the issue of non-deployment of medium and short-range missiles near the Russian borders, the refusal to further expand NATO at the expense of the former Soviet republics and a reduction in the number of military exercises.
In total, the discussion between the officials of the two countries lasted about 7.5 hours. The talks were held behind closed doors, without journalists, at the US Permanent Mission to the UN Office in Geneva. In the process, the parties broke off only for a short lunch.
#Russia #United #States #praised #talks #security #guarantees