Russia expects US, NATO to give written response on security guarantees, Lavrov says

MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/. Moscow expects that the United States and NATO will furnish written responses on the issue of security guarantees, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on the results of Russia’s diplomatic activities in 2021. "We expect our colleagues to give responses, written responses, putting their proposals on paper like we did. Meanwhile, we will certainly continue activities to make sure that we are prepared for any kind of developments," he pointed out. "On the whole, we are confident that if there is goodwill and willingness to make compromises, then it’s always possible to find a mutually acceptable solution," the Russian top diplomat stressed. Lavrov noted that at the beginning of last year, Moscow and Washington had managed to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) for five years without any conditions, which was what Russia had called for. "We appreciated this step by the Biden administration, which was actually one of the first taken after the formation of the Democratic administration," the Russian foreign minister noted. According to him, Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the United States emphasized the need for dialogue on all issues related to strategic stability at their meeting in Geneva last June. On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry released a draft agreement on security guarantees between Russia and the United States and a draft agreement on ensuring the security of Russia and NATO member states. Consultations on the issue took place in Geneva on January 10, followed by a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels on January 12 and a session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Permanent Council in Vienna on January 13. Read more