Russia to hold talks with US before proposed Nato meet

MOSCOW • Russia will start talks first with the US on its demands for guarantees of an end to Nato's eastward expansion before a proposed Jan 12 meeting between the Western military alliance and Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said yesterday.

"We will hold the main round of negotiations with the United States which will take place immediately after the end of the New Year holidays," Mr Lavrov said in a YouTube interview with the Soloviev Live channel.

Russia begins the year with a public holiday and Jan 10 is the first working day.

The top Russian diplomat said that while his country is not presenting the US with any "ultimatums", it also will not accept "endless" talks on its demands for legally binding pledges that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation will halt further expansion and withdraw forces to the positions they held in 1997.

US President Joe Biden's administration has said some of Russia's security proposals are obviously unacceptable, but that Washington will respond with more concrete ideas on the format of any talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his annual press conference last week, praised what he described as a "positive" US response to Moscow's proposals. On Sunday, he said he would act on recommendations of his military experts in considering responses if the talks with the US and Nato fail.

The US has warned its European allies that a massive Russian military build-up near Ukraine since last month may be preparations for an invasion as early as next month.

Russia denies plans for a military operation, but has warned Nato against crossing "red lines" by stationing offensive weapons in Ukraine.

It also accuses the government in Kiev of preparing an offensive to recapture territory in eastern Ukraine held by Russian-backed separatists. Ukraine rejects that claim.

Russia's Defence Ministry announced last Saturday that over 10,000 troops would return to their permanent bases in the Southern Military District following more than a month of training, including in areas near Ukraine.

Meanwhile, in an interview on CBS' Face The Nation television show, US Vice-President Kamala Harris said Washington has been in direct conversations with Moscow about the issue and reiterated the US' commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity.

"We've been very clear that we are prepared to issue sanctions like you've not seen before," Ms Harris said, but declined to elaborate on the specifics of the sanctions.

The United States, the European Union and the Group of Seven nations have all warned Mr Putin that he will face "massive consequences", including tough economic sanctions, in the event of any new Russian aggression.

BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE