Izvestia: Negotiations between Russia and the U.S. are expected in the second half of January

Negotiations between Russia and the United States on security guarantees may take place in the second half of January, Izvestia reported, citing a source in diplomatic circles. According to him, the negotiations will be of paramount importance for Moscow: their outcome will determine whether further consultations with NATO will take place. According to the source, the Russian side had planned to hold the talks by the end of the year, but the United States insisted on negotiations in January. The place of the upcoming meeting is still being specified. Izvestia english version. "So far there are no details on the time and place of the meeting. We wanted to hold it before the end of the year, but the U.S. has holidays, vacations - war is war, and dinner is on the schedule. So the mood is for the second half of January. The negotiations with the U.S. will determine the dialogue with NATO, because Washington has a controlling stake in this alliance," said the source. How the dialogue with NATO will be held is still unknown. There is no negotiation platform at the moment, so Moscow holds talks with the alliance via the Russian embassy in Belgium and the Russian diplomatic mission of the Kingdom. The day before, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden was not planned. In his words, the USA is interested in de-escalation on the part of Russia and withdrawal of its troops from the border with Ukraine. The US diplomat stressed that Russia and the US should work on the disputed issues at the diplomatic level. Vladimir Putin last spoke to Joe Biden via video link on December 7. Then the American leader urged his Russian counterpart to de-escalate and return to diplomacy in the situation around Ukraine. He also warned the Russian president of "serious economic and other measures" by the United States and its allies.