US and Russian Foreign Ministers to Talk Tomorrow... "Putin to Clarify Position to the West"

Kremlin "Putin Issues Statement on West's Rejection of Security Guarantees... Cannot Disclose Date"

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov greet each other ahead of talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 21. Photo by AP/ Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Amid ongoing tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are scheduled to have a phone call.

On the 31st (local time), according to local media including TASS news agency, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Minister Lavrov will speak with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken on February 1st.

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated, "The two ministers plan to have a phone call on the 1st," adding, "There are no plans for an in-person meeting."

Previously, on the 21st, Blinken and Lavrov met in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss solutions to the Ukraine crisis, but only confirmed differences in their positions.

Since Russia's military annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, it has deployed approximately 130,000 troops near the Ukrainian border since the end of last year. The United States views Russia as ready to invade Ukraine at any time and has warned of strong sanctions while continuously urging a diplomatic resolution.

On the other hand, Russia denies invasion rumors, claiming its actions are merely a response to the threat posed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Instead, it has demanded security guarantees, including a ban on Ukraine's NATO membership and a halt to NATO's eastward expansion.

The United States and NATO have rejected the security guarantees proposed by Russia. Since then, both sides have sought diplomatic solutions multiple times but have yet to find a viable breakthrough.

The Kremlin stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon express his position regarding the West's rejection of the security guarantees.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, told reporters on the day, "President Putin will announce his position as soon as he deems it necessary," adding, "However, we cannot disclose the exact date."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.