WASHINGTON, January 18. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have discussed over the phone last week’s security consultations and Moscow’s proposals, Spokesperson for the Department of State Ned Price said on Tuesday.

"They discussed the January 10 Strategic Stability Dialogue, January 12 NATO-Russia Council, and January 13 OSCE Permanent Council meetings. The Secretary stressed the importance of continuing a diplomatic path to de-escalate tensions surrounding the deeply troubling Russian military build-up in and near Ukraine. The Secretary reiterated the unshakable U.S. commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and underscored that any discussion of European security must include NATO Allies and European partners, including Ukraine," the statement reads.

Recently, Western and Ukrainian media outlets have been echoing claims about Russia’s possible aggression against Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier slammed such statements as "empty and groundless" and their goal is to whip up tensions. He stressed that Russia doesn’t pose any threat to anyone, but did not rule out possible provocations to justify the remarks in question and warned that attempts at using force to settle the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have the most serious consequences.

On December 17, 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry released the proposals on security guarantees on the part of the US and NATO. The consultations were on January 10 in Geneva, while a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council was held on January 12 in Brussels and the OSCE Permanent Council met in Vienna on January 13.