Russian President Vladimir Putin noted the positive reaction of the United States of America (USA) to the Russian proposals on security guarantees, and negotiations on this issue will begin in Geneva (Switzerland) in early 2022.
The head of the Russian Federation announced this at a press conference on Thursday, Ukrainian News Agency reports.
“We need to understand how our security will be ensured. Therefore, without any tricks, we simply directly raised the question that there should be no further NATO movement to the east. The ball is on their (NATO, USA) side, they must answer us something. In this regard, I would like to emphasize that, on the whole, we see a positive reaction so far, and the American partners tell us that they are ready to start this discussion, these negotiations at the very beginning of the year in Geneva," he said.
Putin noted that he hopes for the development of the situation along this path.
According to the President of the Russian Federation, representatives from both sides have already been appointed to start negotiations.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, U.S. President Joe Biden warned Putin during a December 7 conversation about the use of economic measures in the case of an escalation of the conflict with Ukraine.
Putin, in turn, told Biden about Russia's interest in legal guarantees of NATO's eastward non-expansion.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia's demands on guarantees of NATO's non-expansion as strange after Russia itself violates its earlier promises, in particular the Budapest Memorandum on security guarantees from the United States, Great Britain and Russia in connection with Ukraine's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, signed in Budapest in 1994.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia has published draft agreements developed by Russia with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to provide legal guarantees for Russia's security, providing for NATO's obligation to exclude further expansion to the east, in particular, Ukraine joining the alliance.
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