Russian and US security officials to conduct security talks in Geneva on January 10 Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman will hold security talks in Geneva on January 10, Russia’s foreign ministry said on Thursday as tensions over Ukraine were rising.

Russia will then hold talks with NATO in Brussels on January 12, ahead of a larger meeting on January 13 that will include Russia, the United States and other European countries, which the Russian Foreign Ministry said would take place in Vienna.

Russia has overwhelmed Western countries by gathering dozens of troops near its border with Ukraine in the past two months. Moscow denies plans to attack Ukraine and says it has the right to move its troops as it sees fit.

Moscow, concerned about what the West says is the re-armament of Ukraine, has said it wants binding legal guarantees from the NATO military alliance over eastern expansion and the deployment of weapons.

“In the talks, we will seek strong legal guarantees for Russia’s security from the United States, meaning that NATO will not move east and that weapons-threatening systems in Russia will not be deployed near our borders,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. briefing on thursday.

The January 13 talks will feature the Vienna-based European Security and Cooperation Organization (OSCE), which includes US and NATO allies, as well as Russia, Ukraine and some former Soviet states.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden are due to make a phone call on Thursday at 2030 GMT.