UN chief Antonio Guterres welcomes US-Russia dialogue on security arrangements with NATO

The United Nations spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the dialogue between Russia and the United States on the recent security arrangements with NATO proposed by Russia, reported Sputnik.

"The Secretary-General has taken [note] of the relevant media reports. We welcome dialogue at various levels between the Russian Federation and the United States to address differences, de-escalate tensions, and safeguard regional peace," Haq said.

According to a report published by Sputnik, Guterres has asked all officials involved in the dialogue to "ensure a peaceful settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine in accordance with the Minsk Agreements as endorsed by the Security Council in its resolution 2022 (2015) and reiterates the UN's support for all ongoing negotiation efforts to that end," said the spokesperson.

Moscow's new Security Proposals: UN welcomes US-Russia dialogue

Russia on Friday issued its draft proposal in a security package that was sent to the United States and NATO allies, which calls for a halt to all the ongoing military activities in Europe as well as the expansion of NATO, such as in Ukraine. The security proposal, submitted by the Russian government to the US and its allies, also calls for the suspension of the deployment of US and Russian warships and aircraft in areas where they can cause harm to each other's territory. Notably, security concerns have increased in the region around Ukraine as America and its allies have accused Russia of deploying troops in large numbers to invade Ukraine. However, Russia has denied all the allegations and said that the military on its borders was deployed only because of security issues.

Biden-Putin discusses Ukraine issue

Earlier on December 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden held virtual talks and discussed the Ukraine issue. Biden expressed concern over the recent developments and called for a diplomatic solution. Putin said Ukraine failed to comply with the Minsk agreement and pointed out that NATO is advancing near the Russian borders by conducting a military build-up. Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak held talks with the US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried in Moscow. At the meeting, the participants discussed the ongoing attempts by the United States and NATO to change the political and military situation in Europe in their favour, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

(Image: AP)