Talks with US to start after holidays: Russia

MOSCOW: Talks between Russia and the United States on Moscow’s demand for Western guarantees precluding Nato’s expansion to Ukraine will start immediately after New Year holidays, Russia’s top diplomat announced on Monday.

“It is with the US that we will carry out the main work of negotiations, which will take place immediately after the New Year holidays end,” Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview on Monday. The holidays in Russia will last for 10 days, through January 9.

Earlier this month, Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that Nato deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. Washington and its allies have refused to provide such pledges, but said they are ready for the talks.

The demands, contained in a proposed Russia-US security treaty and a security agreement between Moscow and Nato, were drafted amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine that has stoked fears of a possible invasion. Russia has denied it has plans to attack its neighbour but pressed for legal guarantees that would rule out Nato expansion and weapons deployment there.

Lavrov said last week that, in addition to talks with the US, Moscow will start separate talks with Nato on the issue, as well as separate negotiations under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. It is important that “our proposals aren’t wound up in endless discussions, which the

West is famous for and which it knows how to do, that there is a result of all these diplomatic efforts,” Lavrov said on Monday.

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg has decided to convene a meeting of the Nato-Russia Council on January 12, a Nato official said on Saturday, adding that the bloc was in touch with Russia about the meeting.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday confirmed the meeting will take place, calling talks with Nato “important”, but said the details of the meeting are “in the works” and the date is still to be confirmed.

Turkey urged Russia on Monday to drop “one-sided” demands and adopt a more constructive approach. The Nato member has irritated Moscow by supplying combat drones to Ukraine that Russia fears could be used by Kiev in its conflict with separatists in two regions.