London welcomes the Russian Federation’s statement of readiness to negotiate with the West in January 2022. This was announced on December 23 by the head of the British Foreign Office Liz Truss, quoted by the website of the British Foreign Office.
“The only way out of this situation for Russia is dialogue, and I welcome the fact that Russia has made it clear that it is ready to enter into negotiations in January. The Russian government needs to reduce tensions in its actions and begin serious discussions, ”she said.
However, she condemned the Kremlin’s “aggressive and inflammatory” rhetoric towards Ukraine and NATO.
Earlier on December 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an annual press conference that Russia is ready at the OSCE site to discuss with the West a system of security guarantees. According to him, the start of the corresponding work is possible in early January.
On December 21, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reported that it is ready to become a platform for NATO-Russia talks on security guarantees. The OSCE offers a range of formal and informal mechanisms and tools that can be used to build dialogue and create an atmosphere of trust, the organization noted.
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft agreements between Russia and the United States and NATO on security guarantees. As follows from the documents, in particular, the alliance should refuse to conduct any military activity on the territory of Ukraine and other states of Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia. According to a White House source, the US presidential administration found some of the proposals useful and others unacceptable.
