US, Russian officials to meet on Jan. 10 to discuss growing tensions in Ukraine

Bilateral talks between Moscow and Washington are set to begin on Jan. 10 to discuss ongoing tensions over Ukraine and increased Russian military activity along its western border, a Biden administration official confirmed late on Monday.

“The United States looks forward to engaging with Russia,” a spokesperson for the National Security Council told AFP. “When we sit down to talk, Russia can put its concerns on the table and we will put our concerns on the table with Russia’s activities as well.”

The spokesperson also noted that representatives from the Kremlin and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are expected to meet on Jan. 12, while representatives for Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) could meet as early as Jan. 13, the Epoch Times reported.

In an attempt to de-escalate the ever more precarious situation in the East, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also offered to resume dialogue with Moscow and proposed the formation of a NATO-Russia Council in mid-January.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Sergey Ryabkov, confirmed on Tuesday that the Jan. 10 talks are scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland – and stated that he is hopeful that “the bilateral Russian-American consultations” will develop into negotiations on draft agreements previously proposed by Moscow.

But the Kremlin’s previous proposals may be too large of a pill to swallow for the Western military bloc.

Earlier this month, the Kremlin presented a list of demands, which included a promise that NATO would halt all military operations in Eastern Europe and Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Dec. 23 that although he wants to avoid conflict, an “immediate” response from the United States and its allies to his regime’s demands for security guarantees is urgent.

While the Biden administration has noted that some of Russia’s security proposals are not plausible, officials assured the Kremlin that Washington will respond with concrete proposals when the two country’s leaders meet.

“There have been proposals put forward by the Russians — some we would agree with, some we certainly wouldn’t agree with,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a press briefing on Dec. 23. “We also agree diplomatic conversations are the right path forward,” she added.