Russia Plans Security Talks With U.S. Before NATO Meeting

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(Bloomberg) — Russia will start talks first with the U.S. on its demands for guarantees of an end to NATO’s eastward expansion before a proposed Jan. 12 meeting between the military alliance and Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

$FILE - MOSCOW, RUSSIA - DECEMBER 22, 2021: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a general session of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO at the Cultural Center of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS (Photo by Russian Foreign Ministry\TASS via Getty Images)$ FILE – MOSCOW, RUSSIA – DECEMBER 22, 2021: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a general session of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO at the Cultural Center of the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS (Photo by Russian Foreign Ministry\TASS via Getty Images)“We will hold the main round of negotiations with the U.S. which will take place immediately after the end of the New Year holidays,” Lavrov said in a YouTube interview Monday with the Soloviev Live channel. Russia begins the year with a public holiday and Jan. 10 is the first working day.

Russia’s top diplomat said his country isn’t presenting the U.S. with any “ultimatums,” but also won’t accept “endless” talks on its demands for legally binding pledges that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization will halt further expansion and withdraw forces to the positions they held in 1997.

President Vladimir Putin last week in his annual press conference praised what he described as a “positive” U.S. response to the Russian proposals. On Sunday, he said he would act on recommendations of his military experts in considering responses if the talks with the U.S. and NATO fail.

The U.S. has warned European allies that a massive Russian military build-up near Ukraine since November may be preparations for an invasion as early as next month. Russia denies plans for a military operation but has warned NATO against crossing “red lines” by stationing offensive weapons in Ukraine.

It also accuses the government in Kyiv of preparing an offensive to recapture territory in eastern Ukraine held by Russian-backed separatists. Ukraine rejects that claim.

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Dec. 25 that more than 10,000 troops would return to their permanent bases in the Southern Military District following more than a month of training, including in areas near Ukraine.