US, Russia to Hold Talks on Arms Control, Situation in Ukraine 10 January - Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States and Russia will hold talks on arms control and the situation in Ukraine on January 10th, AFP has reported, citing the White House.

Additionally, a Russia-NATO meeting is expected on January 12th, Reuters reported, citing a US National Security Council spokesperson.

On December 17th, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft agreements between Russia and the US and NATO on security guarantees. The documents have already been handed over to Washington and its allies. The draft documents included a proposal to avoid placing intermediate- and short-range missiles where they might threaten either party to the deal, a suggestion for NATO to stop further expansion, and other provisions.

In particular, one of the points suggests NATO provide guarantees of non-expansion into Ukrainian territory. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Sputnik that if NATO and the US do not respond to Russia's demand for security guarantees, it could lead to a new confrontation.

"We wanted people in Russia and Ukraine and people in Europe and the United States to understand our idea, what we wanted to achieve with these talks. I don't see anything wrong with that", Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier. "But for us, the only goal is to have the agreements that would ensure security for Russia and its people today and in the long term".

The EU and the US have accused Russia of massing troops on the border with Ukraine in what Kiev claims is preparation for an invasion. Russia says it is free to move military personnel anywhere within its territory.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev deteriorated amid the situation in Donbass, following a coup d'état in Ukraine in February 2014. In January 2015, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted a statement in which Russia was called "an aggressor country". Russia denies the accusations by Ukraine and calls them unacceptable. Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the internal Ukrainian conflict and is interested in Kiev overcoming the political and economic crisis in its country.