In a conversation with a presidential aide, Biden's national security adviser said that a dialogue with Russia on so-called "security guarantees" would be possible only if it addressed U.S. concerns about Russia's actions and was conducted in coordination with European allies and partners.
Jake Sullivan's conversation with Yuri Ushakov is described in a statement on the White House website, European Pravda reported.
"Sullivan made clear that any dialogue must be based on reciprocity and address our concerns about Russia's actions and take place in full coordination with our European allies and partners.
He also noted that substantial progress can only occur in a de-escalation, not an escalation," the White House said.
Sullivan stressed U.S. readiness to engage in diplomatic negotiations through several channels, including bilateral engagement, the NATO-Russia Council and the OSCE.
As a reminder, on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry published "draft treaties" on the actual distribution of spheres of influence in Europe, which Moscow wants to sign with the North Atlantic Alliance and with the United States.
In one of the clauses, Russia proposes that NATO countries undertake commitments that exclude further expansion of NATO, including the accession of Ukraine as well as other states. In addition, Russia proposes to refuse "to conduct any military activity on the territory of Ukraine, as well as other states in Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia."
The White House press secretary said that the United States had seen Russia's proposals for negotiations on so-called "security guarantees," but stressed that there would be no negotiations without European allies and partners.
NATO also laid out its conditions for the dialogue, saying that it should take into account the Alliance's concerns about Russia's actions, be based on key principles and documents of European security, and take place in consultation with NATO European partners, such as Ukraine.
