U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held phone talks on December 23 to discuss their shared concern about Russia’s build-up of troops near the Ukrainian border.
According to U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price, both officials “discussed NATO’s dual-track approach to Russia, noting the Alliance remains ready for meaningful dialogue with Russia while standing united to defend and protect Allies.”
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken stated in a tweet that he and the NATO Secretary General remain concerned about Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine. Blinken wrote: “NATO remains open to dialogue and will continue to strive for peace, security, and stability in the whole of the Euro-Atlantic area.”
The statement came as the West was concerned about major military escalation in Ukraine.
Earlier on December 16, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to NATO headquarters to discuss Russia’s military build-up in Ukraine and its surrounding areas.
According to NATO statement, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said “The message today to Russia is that it is for Ukraine as a sovereign nation to decide its own path. And for the 30 NATO Allies to decide when Ukraine is ready to become a member.”
NATO Secretary General emphasized that any further aggression against Ukraine and escalation of tensions will have serious consequences and would carry a high price.
Earlier this month, Russia submitted a draft security document requiring NATO to reject the membership of Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and cancel the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. The United States and its NATO allies have refused to accept any such demands but stressed that they were ready for the talks with Russia.
U.S. President Joseph Biden during his phone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia will face “severe consequences” if it attacks Ukraine. In response, Russian President Putin denied having any plans to launch an attack, however, he stated that NATO’s expansion plans and the deployment of coalition weapons in Ukraine are considered as the “red line” by Moscow.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also said on December 23, “We don’t want a war. We don’t want to take the path of confrontation. But we will firmly ensure our security using the means we consider necessary.”
According to sources, the U.S. is preparing for dialogues with Russia within weeks. The U.S. official said, “The United States is ready to engage in diplomacy as soon as early January”, through bilateral and multiple channels.
On December 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the U.S. readiness to engage in Geneva talks and discuss Russia’s security proposals for limiting NATO’s expansion plans was a “positive” sign.
The Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov also welcomed the move to reach a quick agreement on the start of the talks, however, noted that the talks should be “aimed at reaching concrete results and not become drawn out.”
Peskov “We want these talks… And, certainly, the talks are held to discuss each other’s positions.” Russia hopes that the U.S. would present a detailed platform for the talks and be ready for a constructive discussion, Peskov added.
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, in January 2022, Russia is planning to hold separate talks with NATO members to discuss the issue, and negotiations are expected to be held under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
