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Russia-US dialogue on Ukraine to help reduce tensions until spring - expert

The very decision to continue talks will have a de-escalating effect on the situation for some time, Ruslan Bortnik , director of the Ukrainian Institute of Politicssaid

KIEV, December 7. /TASS/. The continuation of the Russian-US dialogue on the situation around Ukraine will help ease tension at least until spring, Ruslan Bortnik , director of the Ukrainian Institute of Politics, told TASS on Tuesday, commenting on the video call between Russian and US Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden.

He recalled that the United States and Russia had previously maintained dialogue on the Ukrainian crisis at the level of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland but "any dialogue on Ukraine was interrupted or restricted under Trump and today the sides have decided to resume it."

"The very decision to continue talks will have a de-escalating effect on the situation for some time," Bortnik said, adding that it will continue "at least until spring." "

"For Ukraine, these talks along with the US congressmen’s decision to turn down an amendment on sanctions against Nord Stream 2 will probably mean reduction of tension, i.e. the risks of combat operations and political, military and economic escalation will be seriously diminished," he noted.

He did not rule out that the Putin-Biden call may give birth to a new format of discussions on the situation in eastern Ukraine. Such format, in his words, may function concurrently with the Normandy format involving Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and France.

The Russian and US leaders had talks in the videoconference format that lasted slightly more than two hours. The presidents discussed the situation in Ukraine, issues of strategic stability, cybersecurity, a number of regional crises, including the situation around Iran.

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