Next month, Russia will enter into talks with the United States about desired security guarantees. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in an interview, did not specify a date for the meeting but said it would take place immediately after the Russian New Year holidays.

 

That means that the summit will probably take place on January 10 at the earliest. Lavrov said the Americans should not expect “ultimatums” but that Moscow will not accept “endless” negotiations over Russia’s list of demands. The Kremlin wants that NATO refrains from further expansion to the east, among other things.

Tensions between Russia and the West are currently rising due to a Russian troop build-up on the border with Ukraine. That Eastern European country would like to join NATO. The US has announced it will impose heavy sanctions on Russia if it decides to invade the neighbouring country.

Relations between Russia and Ukraine have been tense for years. The Russians annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. Moscow also supported the Ukrainian separatists who proclaimed their own mini-states in the east of their country and started fighting the pro-Western government in Kyiv. However, Moscow has dismissed reports of a possible invasion as an attempt to create unrest.