Psaki: Washington has not yet agreed on the time and place of new talks with Moscow

Ms. Psaki referred to the comments of the Russian president today during a press conference on the occasion of the end of the year, who said he hoped that the negotiations, which would start early next year and in Geneva, would be fruitful.

But the White House said it did not strongly agree with any of these details.

Ms. Psaki also responded to comments by the Russian president, who blamed the West for the tensions in Ukraine.

She said the facts make it clear that the only aggression being seen on Russia’s border with Ukraine is Moscow’s growing military presence and the Russian leader’s war rhetoric.

Also today, Secretary Blinken spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The State Department said they discussed common concerns about Russia’s military presence on Ukraine’s borders, as well as the so-called two-pronged NATO approach to Russia, noting that the Alliance remains ready for meaningful dialogue. with Moscow while standing united to defend its allies.

Putin: Russia demands guarantees ‘now’, not conflict with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his country wants to avoid conflict with Ukraine and the West, but needs an “immediate” response from the United States and its allies to demands for security guarantees.

Ukraine is at the center of rising East-West tensions. The United States and Kiev accuse Russia of plotting a new attack on its southern neighbor, a charge Moscow has denied.

“This is not our (favorite) choice, we do not want that“Mr. Putin said in his annual press conference when asked about the possibility of conflict with Ukraine.

He said Russia had received an generally positive initial response to the security proposals it submitted to the United States this month, designed to ease the current crisis. The Russian president added that he was hoping for negotiations, which he said would start early next year in Geneva.

But in a separate response, on the same issue, President Putin raised his voice, saying that NATO had “shamelessly deceived” Russia with a successive wave of enlargement since the Cold War, and that Moscow urgently needed a answer.

“They should give us a guarantee and immediately! Now!“, Said Mr. Putin.

Moscow has denied allegations by Kiev and Washington that it was preparing an attack on Ukraine that could take place early next month using tens of thousands of Russian troops stationed on the border with the former Soviet republic.

Russia says it needs promises from the West, such as not to carry out NATO military activity in Eastern Europe. Moscow says strengthening Ukraine’s ties with the Western alliance threatens its security and that the deployment of NATO missiles on Ukrainian territory could be used against it.

“We demanded that there be no more NATO movements in the east. The ball is in their court, they have to answer us with something“, Said Mr. Putin.

Tensions over Ukraine have plunged East-West relations to their lowest point in three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The United States, the European Union and the Group of Seven have warned President Putin that he will face “grave consequences”, including harsh economic sanctions, in the event of a new aggression against Ukraine./VOA

top channel