There has been no indication that the two sides have been able to narrow their differences with regard to Moscow’s main demand that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization sever its military ties with Ukraine and Georgia, and rescind previous statements. that they would eventually join the alliance.
A spokesman for President Biden’s National Security Council said on Tuesday, “When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table, and we will put our concerns on the table along with Russia’s activities.” Will keep.” “There will be areas where we can make progress, and areas where we will disagree.”
Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said he expects talks to focus on security proposals the Kremlin provided to the US earlier this month that will limit NATO expansion and Western military activities near Russia’s periphery. will stop
“These items are all integral to our stand,” Mr. Ryabkov told Interfax news agency. “We cannot do without a serious discussion of those exact topics during the upcoming contacts.”
Russia initially proposed direct talks with the US; the Biden administration proposed parallel meetings to counter the notion that the discussions would lead to a new division of Europe into spheres of influence that had been established without the involvement of American allies. Will go
“We will adhere to the principle of ‘nothing about our allies and partners, including Ukraine, without our allies and partners’,” an NSC spokesperson said.
The US-Russia talks will take place in Geneva as part of a security dialogue that the two sides have used to discuss nuclear weapons and other military issues. They are likely to be led by Deputy Foreign Ministers Wendy Sherman and Mr Ryabkov, who represented both sides in previous sessions.
The Geneva meeting will be followed by extensive talks in Brussels on January 12 at the NATO-Russia Council, a coalition forum to discuss security concerns with Moscow. Those discussions, if conducted as expected, will be the first time this Council will meet in more than two years.
On January 13, there will be another meeting to discuss issues between Russia and European countries at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Russia has estimated the number of troops at large near Ukraine to number around 100,000 US officers and project an invasion could reach 175,000, with battalion tactical groups serving as front-line forces. . US officials said last week that Russia has a 53 Battalion tactical group near the Ukrainian border. Each group consists of about 800 soldiers.
US officials said Russia’s military build-up was continuing and there were no signs of a retreat. He cited a narrow window to avoid Russian military action, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s timetable for action is early 2022.
The US has flown RC-135 and E-8 reconnaissance aircraft over Ukraine in recent days to monitor Russian military deployments in the region. The RC-135 gathers electronic intelligence, while the E-8 uses radar to track ground forces.
On Tuesday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a carrier strike group to remain in the Mediterranean Sea instead of traveling to the Middle East via the Suez Canal, US defense officials said. Officials said the USS Harry S Truman will remain near its current location in the Ionian Sea between Greece and Italy.
Mr Biden has denied sending combat troops to Ukraine, but US officials have warned that the US will strengthen its position in NATO’s eastern European territory if Russian forces attack Ukraine.
Ukraine has requested US, Ukrainian and US officials to approach the situation with high-tech antimissile systems. So far, the Biden administration has avoided sending systems or providing helicopters once allocated to the now-defunct Afghan military that are currently being repaired in Ukraine.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has said that although it has not increased its military aid to Ukraine, the US is continuously assessing the country’s military needs and providing defense assistance to Ukraine that was recently pre-Russian construction. Is.
Officials said if Russia invades Ukraine, the Biden administration has vowed to impose severe economic sanctions, increase military aid to Kiev and strengthen deployments to NATO member states along the coalition’s eastern side.
The press office of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces said on December 25 that 10,000 soldiers involved in exercises at the training range would return to their bases.
“There was no established relationship between the conclusion of that exercise and the Russian forces stationed near Ukraine,” said Michael Kaufman, a Russian military specialist at CNA Corp.
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed
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