US, Russia strike a conciliatory tone ahead of crucial January talks over Moscow’s security guarantees that Washington says it’s ready to discuss but talks must be based on “reciprocity.” Russia has said that US’ willingness to discuss Moscow’s security proposals to curb NATO’s eastward expansion was “positive”, as fears mount in the West over a major military escalation in Ukraine.
“The start of negotiations announced (for) January will allow us to move forward,” President Vladimir Putin said at his annual end-of-year press conference on Thursday, adding that representatives from both sides have been appointed.
Putin’s conciliatory tone came after tensions peaked this week when he vowed that Russia would take “appropriate retaliatory” military steps in response to what he called the West’s “aggressive stance”.
He also announced a new arsenal of hypersonic missiles that he has previously described as “invincible” were nearing combat readiness.
Also on Thursday, a senior US official said that Washington is “ready” for diplomacy talks with Moscow in Geneva that could start within weeks as soon as early January “through “multiple channels.”
“There are some issues that Russia has raised that we believe we can discuss, and others that they know very well we will never agree to,” the US official said.
The US official underlined that any dialogue must be based on “reciprocity.”
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