Negotiations between Moscow and Washington in a bilateral format will not have any significant decisions without the active participation of the European Union (EU), US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken assured EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. He announced this on January 10 in an interview with BBC Radio 4.
“I received assurances from Secretary of State Blinken that the EU and its member states will be part of any negotiations with Russia, there will be no agreements without our actions, coordination and participation,” Borrell said.
The head of European diplomacy added that the European Union was somewhat aloof from the talks between the presidents of Russia and the United States, when Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden held telephone talks in early and late December. In his opinion, Russia deliberately excluded the EU from the negotiation process. And Borrell assesses Russia’s proposals for the EU as problematic, since they contradict the “principle of the European security architecture.”
But at the same time, the bilateral talks in Geneva are the first step towards understanding the situation, so there is nothing unusual in the bilateral format, he stressed.
The talks between Russia and the United States on security guarantees ended in Geneva earlier than January 10. They lasted approximately 7.5 hours. Discussions were held at the United States Mission in Geneva in a format closed to the press.
Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Ryabkov said that the negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States were difficult, long and specific, the parties did not try to avoid sharp corners. The Kremlin did not begin to assess the negotiations, referring to the too early stage of consultations for any conclusions.
The talks on security guarantees are being held in three stages: on January 10, a meeting took place in Geneva, on January 12, a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council will take place in Brussels, and the next day consultations are scheduled at the Vienna platform of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
