The head of the Russian delegation at the talks in Vienna, Konstantin Gavrilov, on the air of Rossiya 24, expressed the hope that the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of Russia and the United States would be able to achieve success in the course of negotiations on security guarantees.

“I hope that at the meeting between Minister [Sergey] Lavrov and Secretary of State [Anthony] Blinken, there may still be some breakthrough in this direction. I very much hope for this, for the common sense, for the pragmatism of our American colleagues,” the Russian representative said.

Earlier, Gavrilov said a "countdown" had begun, waiting for answers on Russian security proposals.

The US State Department announced a meeting between Blinken and Lavrov in Geneva on January 21, which will take place after the talks that Blinken is scheduled to have in Ukraine and Germany, the US Foreign Office said. The State Department spokeswoman stressed that the upcoming meeting is evidence that "diplomacy is still alive" regarding the crisis around Ukraine.

On January 18, a telephone conversation took place between Lavrov and Blinken at the initiative of the United States. During the conversation, Lavrov urged his American colleague not to replicate "speculation about the allegedly impending" Russian aggression ", but to force the authorities in Kiev to fully comply with the Minsk agreements." During the conversation, Lavrov also highlighted the fundamental points in the previously submitted drafts of a bilateral treaty with the United States and an agreement with NATO, which fix legal guarantees for ensuring security, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted.

bbabo.Net