Forecast: Negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United  States will continue in the next stages

ArmInfo.At the three stages of the ongoing negotiations on security guarantees, we will see the beginning of the negotiation process between the Russian Federation  and the United States, which will continue in the next stages. Fedor  Lukyanov, Chairman of the Presidium of the Council for Foreign and  Defense Policy of Russia, expressed a similar opinion.

Commenting on the uncompromising rhetoric of Moscow and Washington on  the eve of the start of negotiations, in particular, the statement of  First Deputy Secretary of State of the United States Wendy Sherman on  Washington's refusal to discuss security issues in Europe with Moscow  in a bilateral format, the analyst emphasized the difference between  public rhetoric and the real intentions of the negotiators. In his  opinion, judging by the public rhetoric of Washington and Moscow that  preceded the talks, there can be no talk of any agreements on their  results. However, in reality the situation, according to Lukyanov, is  somewhat different.

On January 10, a preliminary meeting of the diplomats and the  military of the United States and the Russian Federation took place  at the US Permanent Mission in Geneva, in a format closed to the  press, which lasted 7.5 hours. The talks on security guarantees will  be held in three stages: on January 10, a meeting was held in Geneva,  on January 12, a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council will take place  in Brussels, and on January 13, consultations are scheduled at the  OSCE Vienna site. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov described  the conversation as complicated but substantive. Noting Moscow's  readiness to listen to the US position, the diplomat noted that a  constructive dialogue is possible only in the context of revising the  decisions of the Budapest summit on the future of Ukraine and Georgia  in NATO.

At the same time, Lukyanov does not at all believe that Washington's  negotiating agenda will be based, for example, on statements by the  EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, which links  European security with the security of Ukraine. First of all, due to  the extremely passive, according to his estimates, and therefore the  secondary position of Brussels in this process.

In Lukyanov's opinion, in general, Washington will take into account  the opinion of NATO allies from Eastern Europe in negotiations with  Moscow on security guarantees in Europe only to a certain extent.   Although the countries of Eastern Europe and the Baltic states,  regarding what is happening as a very serious challenge to their own  security, will do their best to complicate the agreements between the  Russian Federation and the United States. "However, here it should be  noted that these possibilities are quite limited. After all, the  United States is a country that makes decisions in its own interests.  And given, to some extent, the opinion of its allies, in any case,  when making a decision, it will be primarily guided by its own needs.  Accordingly, if we manage to seriously talk and come to an agreement  with Washington, all other issues will be resolved as they arise and  in order of importance, "the analyst concluded.  

On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft  agreements between Russia and the United States and NATO on security  guarantees. It follows from the documents that the alliance should  refrain from conducting any military activity on the territory of  Ukraine and other states of Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia and Central  Asia. It is also assumed that Russia and NATO will commit themselves  not to create conditions that could be regarded by the other side as  a threat