United States do not address the issue of reduction the number of troops in Europe before the talks between the Russian Federation and the United States on security guarantees. This was announced on Saturday by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on his Twitter page, commenting on previously published material on NBC.
“I can say unequivocally that we are not considering reducing the number of troops in Europe or changing the position on this issue,” Kirby said in a statement.
Earlier, the American television company NBC reported that the discussions between The United States and Russia on security issues in Europe may cover the issue of reducing the number of forces and the frequency of exercises in Eastern Europe, but only if these actions are reciprocal. This information has already been denied by several State Department officials.
Pentagon: Russia is gathering troops along the border with Ukraine
Voltage escalation
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Negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States on security guarantees are scheduled for January 10 in Geneva. In addition, a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council will be held on January 12, and on January 13 talks will be held between representatives of the Russian Federation and the OSCE.
On December 17, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a draft agreement with the United States on security guarantees and an agreement on security measures for the Russian Federation and NATO member states. They were handed over to US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried on December 15.
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