Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded on Dec. 22 to the comment of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on upcoming meetings between the U.S. and Russia. In an exclusive interview with RT’s television channel, Lavrov was asked about any responses from the U.S. on Russia’s proposed security agreement: “Speaking about the real reaction, not the rhetorical one, I would say it’s businesslike on the side of our American colleagues. There was a series of conversations on the level of the presidents’ foreign policy aides, and, as a result of the contact, there was an agreement on organizational models for future work.” (https://www.rt.com/russia/544029-lavrov-world-stage-battle/)
At Dec. 21 press conference, Blinken had described the U.S. approach to Russia as combining deterrence and diplomacy. “We have said and Russia has also said that we’re prepared to engage diplomatically through multiple channels, the existing Strategic Stability Dialogue that we have with Russia between Russia and the United States, through the NATO‑Russia Council on issues of particular concern to NATO, and through the OSCE, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe that has as its members among others all of our European allies and partners Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. And I think you’ll see relatively early in the new year engagements in all of those areas to see if we can advance the differences diplomatically.” Blinken concluded regarding Russia’s security concerns and the U.S. concerns with Russia: “All that will be on the table. And if we can make our way forward diplomatically, that is far preferable.”
