Russia calls 2 rounds of talks on security guarantees 'unsuccessful'

MOSCOW

Russia said Thursday that negotiations on security guarantees with the US and NATO were "unsuccessful.”

The two rounds of talks -- between Russia and the US in Geneva on Jan.10 and Russia and NATO in Brussels on Jan. 12 -- revealed that the sides have differences on fundamental issues, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a daily briefing in Moscow.

There were positive "nuances and elements" as well, but they were not principal, Peskov noted.

The talks were initiated to get a response to Russia's concerns, and Moscow expects it in a written form in the coming days, he added.

Peskov said introducing a draft law about new sanctions against Russia to the US Congress at the time of the negotiations is "an attempt to put pressure on Moscow."

He stressed that the new restrictive measures, suggesting among other things personal sanctions against President Vladimir Putin, will be followed by "an inevitable adequate response" that can be seen as a complete breakdown of Russian-US relations.

"The imposition of sanctions against the head of state and against the head of Russia, I repeat, is an exorbitant measure which is comparable to the breakup of relations," he said.

Russia is "extremely negative" about the initiative of the US Congress, which does not contribute to the further search for mutually beneficial solutions and to the formation of a constructive atmosphere during the continuation of the three-stage negotiations, he stressed.

Commenting on NATO’s appeals to Russia to withdraw troops from the Ukrainian border, Peskov said the alliance cannot dictate to Russia "how and where to move its military forces on its own territory."

"Russia does not shift its armed forces on the territory of other states. This is a fundamental point.

"We hear statements by American representatives who invite new countries to NATO, I mean Finland and Sweden. We hear statements from some NATO countries demanding an increase in the number of troops on their territory, I mean some of the Baltic states. Why do we need to de-escalate against this background?" he added.

Despite all differences, Russia is determined to continue the dialogue with the US and NATO with an understanding that it will lead to a concrete result, Peskov said.

On Dec. 15, Yury Ushakov, the presidential adviser on foreign policy issues, announced that Russia handed the draft of its proposals to the US and NATO, and two days later, the Russian Foreign Ministry published the text of the draft agreements suggested by Russia.

On Jan. 10, Russian and US delegations met in Geneva for the first round of consultations "to make positions clear," and on Jan.12, Russia and NATO exchanged views on the security proposals in Brussels.