MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Russia expects the US will give a direct and clear response about security guarantees while Moscow is hoping to continue talks with Washington on priority issues, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Wednesday.

"We need a direct and clear answer, in writing, article-by-article to the proposals that we put on the table," he said at a meeting of the Valdai discussion club. "We realize the complexity of the task and we realize the unprecedent nature of presenting the issue but it was dictated by the unprecedented nature of the whole situation that we have come to as a consequence of the destructive course by the US and its NATO allies to advance, militarily and geopolitically, into the territory from where a direct and immediate threat or threats to our security is emanating."

"The ball is now certainly in the US court," he went on to say. "It’s their assertive course that prompted the current situation."

He said Russia is hoping to continue talks on some of its priority issues with the US.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Soloviev Live YouTube channel earlier work was underway for a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US counterpart Antony Blinken in Geneva on January 21.

On December 17, 2021, 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.