Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters after talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that his meeting with his US counterpart will help the United States prepare answers to Russia's proposals on security guarantees.
Asked about the length of the meeting with the US secretary of state, Lavrov pointed out: "In general, punctuality cannot be a bad sign, and as you said, we planned the meeting for 1.5 hours, because it was roughly clear to us what we would discuss."
"We didn't need to repeat everything that was said at the Russian-American talks here in Geneva on January 10 and at the talks in the Russia-NATO Council on January 12. We certainly did not repeat it. We've already heard the first US reaction, so far verbal, to what was discussed in those two formats at the level of our deputies. And the reactions that we got, as the US side asked us to do when we requested this meeting, were preliminary and we were told about it. The answers to the questions we asked will help the US side, as Antony Blinken told me several days ago by phone, help the US side prepare a written reaction to our written drafts of the agreement with the United States and the agreement with NATO. That's basically what happened today," he said.
Deadline for written responses
Russia and the US have agreed that Washington will deliver written responses to Russian proposals on security guarantees next week, Lavrov said.
"We discussed Ukraine today. Our American colleagues tried again to prioritize the problems on the Russian-Ukrainian border, they tried to condition everything else on the need for so-called de-escalation. This has already become such an incantation. But let me stress it once again: in the long run, we ended up with an agreement that next week we will have written answers to all of our proposals," he said.
Exchange of views
The Russian foreign minister noted that the meeting was interim. "Antony Blinken said he was satisfied with the exchange of views that took place, which will help them next week - this has been stressed several times - provide us with a written response," Lavrov said.
"We heard some reiteration of arguments today about freedom of choice, freedom of choice of alliances, military alliances, but we cited a number of documents in which this freedom of choice of alliances is conditional on the need to avoid any steps that would strengthen the security of one state at the expense of the security of other states," the Russian foreign minister said. - "We asked Antony Blinken and his team to explain to us how they interpret this part of those commitments which were adopted at the political level in the OSCE and were repeatedly confirmed there."
Lavrov thinks it would be right to publicize Washington's response to Moscow's proposals on security guarantees, and will suggest that Antony Blinken do so.
"This is a question that will need to be asked of American colleagues. I thought about it today, but until there is an answer, we will not bring it up because it is their property that will be handed to us as their position. I think it would be right to make this answer public, and I will ask Antony Blinken that they don't mind," Lavrov said.
Assessment of Russian-American contacts
Moscow cannot yet assess whether it is on the right track with regard to contacts with the United States. That will become clear after it receives written responses from the US side on all points of Russian proposals on security guarantees, Lavrov said.
"I cannot say whether we are on the right path or on the wrong path. We will understand this when we get an American response written to all the points of our proposals," the foreign minister said in response to a journalist's question.
According to the minister, an attempt to "spell" something else up is simply inappropriate.
December 17, 2021, the Russian MFA published a draft treaty with the United States on security guarantees and agreement on measures to ensure the security of Russia and NATO member states. Russian-American consultations on these issues were held on January 10 in Geneva, on January 12 in Brussels, and on January 13 these initiatives were discussed at the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from TASS