Russia claims 'anti-Russian' sentiment within NATO impacts bilateral talks with US

Ahead of Moscow’s talks with the US and NATO over security proposals, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Washington was uncomfortable discussing security guarantees in a bilateral format. He told Sputnik, “They [US] find it uncomfortable to hold bilateral dialogue with us, because they feel behind them the eyes and ears of the most anti-Russian group within NATO”. 

The Russian Minister's remarks came after Ryabkov on Sunday met US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in Geneva. The discussions between American and Russian diplomats, according to Ryabkov, were difficult but businesslike. Regarding his talks with Sherman, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister told the news agency, “The conversation was difficult, but businesslike. We went straight to the matter of the upcoming talks. I think that tomorrow we will not waste time. I never lose my optimism, I am always guided by it”.

The talks over Moscow’s security proposals amid tensions brewing near its border with Ukraine will be held in three formats. On 10 January, Russia and US will meet in Geneva, followed by a Russia-NATO Council meeting on 12 January and Russia-OSCE discussion on 13 January. 

These talks follow the publication of two draft agreements by the Russian Foreign Ministry on 17 December 2021 which included security guarantees between Russia, the US and NATO. In the published drafts, as per Sputnik, Russia has suggested that the United States should commit to not setting up military bases in ex-Soviet republics that are not NATO members and prevent the further eastward expansion of the alliance. 

Russia says ‘we won’t make any concessions’

Russia will not bow to pressure by the United States or make any concessions, said Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov ahead of Moscow-Washington talks in Geneva on 10 January. Russia and the US are set to hold talks on strategic ability on Monday which will be followed by a meeting of NATO-Russia Council in Brussels on Wednesday, 12 January, along with the consultations within the Organization for security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna on Thursday, according to Sputnik.

Ahead of Moscow’s scheduled high-stakes talks, Rybakov told the Russian news agency that Kremlin is "very disappointed" by indications from both Washington and Brussels. Basically, the meetings are set to hold discussions on Russia’s security guarantees which were proposed by Moscow in December 2021. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister told Sputnik, “In a nutshell, they reflect a lack of understanding of what we need.”

He added, “And we need legal guarantees, legal guarantees that NATO will not expand further; elimination of everything that the alliance has created driven by anti-Russian phobias and all sorts of misconceptions about the essence of Russian policy since 1997,” as per the report.