RT.com
03 Dec 2021, 01:42 GMT+10
A worsening diplomatic standoff in Europe is one of the key issues to be discussed in talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Joe Biden, Moscow has claimed as tensions mount on the continent.
Speaking on Thursday as part of the Russian First Channel's 'Big Game' TV program, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov stressed that "contact is badly needed, we have multiplying problems. There is no progression on bilateral affairs, which are more and more spiraling into a phase of acute crisis."
Moscow has mooted the idea of staging talks between Biden and Putin. A date for the next conversation has not yet been agreed, however, the Kremlin says there is hope that it will take place by the end of the year.
Ryabkov added that "there is no mutual understanding on how we can de-escalate the situation in Europe, and so on."
The diplomat noted, however, that there are only isolated areas in which the Kremlin and White House are working bilaterally, including cybersecurity, dialogue on strategic stability, and the potential agreement of a new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
Ryabkov's remarks come amid strained relations between the Kremlin and White House over the situation at the Russian-Ukrainian border. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Russia to de-escalate any aggressions against Kiev, or face "severe consequences." He alleged Putin had put in place the capacity to launch an offensive "on short order, should he so decide."
In late November, Ryabkov said Washington had made some assertions relevant to Russia, including some related to the ongoing situation in Ukraine. He said Moscow wanted to "explain in detail what is really happening and how." Russia has repeatedly rejected accusations that it wants to strike its neighbor.
The two presidents met in the Swiss city of Geneva in June in what was their first encounter since Biden's inauguration in January. However, hopes for improvements in Russian-American relations appear to have been dashed with the Kremlin saying that a return to constructive engagement will take a long time.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Colorado Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Colorado Star.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: Filmmaker Peter Jackson's lifelong fascination with the extinct giant New Zealand flightless bird called the moa...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Taoiseach Micheál Martin has expressed cautious optimism that the European Union and the United States can strike...
OTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) -- With strong tides of innovation and a deepening drive for sustainability, China's marine economy is surging...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Filmmaker Peter Jackson's lifelong fascination with the extinct giant New Zealand flightless bird called the moa...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: A cargo ship flagged under Liberia, known as the Eternity C, sank in the Red Sea following an attack executed by Yemen's...
NEW DELHI, India: India has submitted a revised proposal to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva to implement retaliatory tariffs...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has started sending some weapons to Ukraine again, just a week after the Pentagon told officials...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: Nvidia, the Silicon Valley chipmaker at the heart of the artificial intelligence boom, this week briefly...
REDMOND, Washington: Artificial intelligence is transforming Microsoft's bottom line. The company saved over US$500 million last year...