[RIA Novosti] On Thursday evening, Vladimir Putin intends to talk by phone with his American counterpart Joe Biden , press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov confirmed to RIA Novosti.
"Indeed, for tomorrow, late in the evening, Putin is scheduled to have a telephone conversation with the US President," he said.
Earlier, the White House announced the upcoming conversation. The leaders will discuss several topics, including talks scheduled for January, according to a statement from US National Security Council spokesman Emily Horne. According to CNN, this is a meeting in the format of a strategic dialogue at the level of representatives of the Foreign Ministry on January 10, and a meeting of the Russia - NATO Council on January 12, and a multilateral meeting at the OSCE site a day later.
As CNN reported, the conversation is scheduled for 15:30 local time (23:30 Moscow time). Biden believes that in relations with Moscow "nothing can replace a direct dialogue between leaders," the article noted.
The previous conversation between Putin and Biden took place on December 7. The leaders talked over a closed video link. Putin stressed that NATO's eastward expansion and the deployment of offensive weapons in Ukraine are red lines for the Kremlin. Ten days after the video meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft agreements with the United States and an agreement with NATO on security guarantees. The documents have already been handed over to Washington and its allies.
The projects included provisions on non-deployment of intermediate and shorter-range missiles in each other's reach, mutual guarantees of security in Europe and refusal from further NATO expansion, including at the expense of the former Soviet republics.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA Novosti that if NATO and the United States do not respond to Russia's demand for security guarantees, this could lead to a new round of confrontation. At a big press conference, Putin stressed that Moscow's further steps will depend not on the course of the negotiations, but on the unconditional provision of Russia's security - "today and for a historical perspective."