The following article appeared in Russian press service RIA Novosti today.

Expert Black: US Must Be Urged to Seriously Negotiate on the Demands of Russia

NEW YORK, January 11 - RIA Novosti. The US authorities should be encouraged to conduct serious negotiations on the requirements and conditions that have been put forward by Russia, Richard Black, a representative of the Schiller Institute in New York, told RIA Novosti.

Speaking about the Russian-American negotiations on security guarantees which took place in Geneva on Monday, Black said, “it is too early to say what the outcome of the talks, which will extend through the week, will be.”

Talks are expected later this week in the Russia-NATO format, as well as of the OSCE .

“We at the Schiller Institute believe that it is necessary to mobilize veteran diplomats and leaders in civil society in the United States who must call on the United States to seriously negotiate the demands and conditions set out by President Putin,” Black said.

“We believe that a drastic turnaround is needed on the part of the United States, in terms of goodwill negotiations with Russia,” he added.

At the same time, Black expressed doubts about the truth of the allegations promoted by the media and the US authorities, that “Russia is an autocracy, Russia is a strategic enemy, Russia has invaded Ukraine.” “In our opinion, this is an extremely dangerous situation,” he added.

Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that there had been no progress in negotiations with the United States on NATO’s non-expansion.

Ryabkov said that Moscow needs significant legal guarantees, “reinforced in concrete,” that Ukraine and Georgia will never become NATO members. This is a matter of Russia’s national security, Ryabkov stressed. Moscow and Washington, during January 9-10, held consultations in Geneva on Russia’s proposals on security guarantees. Following this, a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council will take place in Brussels, and consultations on the platform of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will take place in Vienna. At the end of 2021, Russia had published proposed draft agreements with the United States and agreements with the North Atlantic Alliance on security guarantees.

Moscow, in particular, demands from its Western partners legal guarantees to refrain from further expansion of NATO to the east, and guarantees to prevent both Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Alliance, and to prevent the creation of military bases in post-Soviet countries.

However, even before the start of the consultations, the United States had already stated that some of Russia’s proposals were unacceptable. Moscow, in turn, stressed that although the project of the proposed treaties is not an ultimatum, Russia will not agree to any unilateral concessions, especially under pressure.

At the same time, Ryabkov did not rule out the possibility that the dialogue with the US might be limited to only one meeting—that there would be no point in continuing it. If so, this threatens a new round of confrontation.

Translated By Ilko Dimov