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Exercise maneuvers near Kiev: Ukrainian reservists rehearse for an emergency
Photo: SERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP
Russia's threatening gestures on the border with Ukraine are causing concern within NATO.
Representatives from Washington and Moscow want to talk about the situation together in the coming weeks.
Shortly before negotiations with the USA on Monday in Geneva, Russia has now ruled out any concession.
“We won't agree to any concession.
That is completely out of the question, ”said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to Russian news agencies.
The Kremlin is "disappointed with the signals that have come from Washington, but also from Brussels in the past few days."
Concessions would be tantamount to acting "against our own interests, against the interests of our security".
In addition, Moscow has again called for binding security agreements with NATO.
"We need guarantees that NATO will not expand," said Ryabkov.
Moscow's expectations of the upcoming talks are "realistic," said Ryabkov. "According to the signals that we have heard from Washington and Brussels in the past few days, it would be naive to assume progress - especially rapid -." US representatives to speak about the current unrest in Central Asian Kazakhstan, where Moscow has also sent soldiers.
On Sunday and Monday, government officials from the USA and Russia will try to defuse tensions between the two countries in Switzerland.
The meeting in Geneva takes place against the background of the Ukraine crisis.
The US accuses Russia of building troops in areas on the border with Ukraine.
It is feared that Russian soldiers could invade the ex-Soviet republic.
Russia denies such plans and, for its part, is particularly opposed to the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO.
A meeting of the NATO-Russia Council is scheduled for January 12 in Brussels - the first in two and a half years.
US side dampens expectations
The US side also dampened expectations ahead of the talks.
"There will be no firm commitments in these talks, which will be serious and concrete, but exploratory," said a US government official on Saturday in a telephone line with journalists.
All issues would then be examined in Washington and discussed with allies during the week.
The government official said he would not be surprised if the Russian side spread false reports about US concessions in order to "divide the allies."
The US government official said it was not up to Moscow to decide which countries other states would enter into alliances with. "In connection with NATO, we call this an open door, and neither Russia nor any other country will slam it." However, progress in the bilateral negotiations on issues such as maneuvers or the deployment of offensive missile systems is conceivable.
There will probably be an "initial meeting" on Sunday evening before the "main meeting" is due to take place on Monday.
According to a spokesman for the State Department, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will meet Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov for talks on Sunday evening.
Sherman is accompanied by Lt. General James Mingus, head of the Joint Staff.
Ryabkov will take part in talks with Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel-General Alexander Fomin.
asc / dpa / AFP
