MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. Russia and the West can hold security talks on various platforms but it should not affect the essence of Moscow’s proposals, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the International Affairs magazine, published on Monday.
"We don’t rule out that there can be other platforms [for security talks], I think that things will become clear shortly. The only thing we would like to avoid is for the essence [of the proposals] to fade away amid talks about various platforms and the need to use them," he pointed out.
Ryabkov also noted that the security issue that Russia and the West were expected to discuss had been imperative, given the need to ensure Russia’s security and prevent NATO from advancing further eastward. "The issue is urgent, tensions are high, problems are huge as we need to stop the eastward expansion of NATO and its infrastructure and capabilities," Ryabkov stressed.
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. The documents were handed over to US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried.