MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. Russia proceeds from the assumption that contacts on security guarantees with the United States should be conducted in a bilateral format, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told reporters on Monday.
"We have taken note and we will consider it," he said, commenting on the statements made by Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief.
"I confirm what was said on our part last week. We put forward negotiating on this topic with the United States and the talks should be bilateral. As for other formats, of course, we do factor in the wishes of certain figures and representatives of certain structures, but this does not mean that we are changing our position, we continue to advocate the bilateral negotiation process with Washington," Ryabkov said responding to a question from TASS.
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry released two draft documents on ensuring legal security guarantees from the United States and NATO.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on NATO to start substantive negotiations in order to provide Russia with reliable and long-term security guarantees. The head of state clarified that Russia needs legal guarantees, since the promises previously made by its Western colleagues had not been fulfilled.
As Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday, Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov told White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan that Moscow was ready to immediately start negotiations on the draft documents concerning the security guarantees. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov will represent Russia during the negotiations on this topic.