WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th February, 2022) US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Geoana, European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino and OSCE Secretary-General Helga Schmid met and agreed on the need to closely coordinate actions to de-escalate the situation concerning Russia and Ukraine, US State Department spokesperson Ned price said in a readout on Wednesday.
"The participants discussed the Russia's unprovoked military buildup on Ukraine's borders, continued NATO, OSCE and EU engagement, and our coordinated preparations for every eventuality, including our ongoing commitment to diplomacy as demonstrated by the launch on February 8 in Vienna of a renewed OSCE European security dialogue," Price said. "They agreed on the importance of continued close coordination in urging Russia to choose diplomacy and take concrete steps to de-escalate."
Last month, Russia engaged in security talks with the United States, NATO and the OSCE to address national security concerns over the alliance's plans to further expand eastward and the consequent Ukraine crisis.
Russia continues to engage in high-level security talks with the United States and other European countries in an attempt to resolve differences over security concerns in Eastern Europe, especially with respect to Ukraine.
Moscow seeks legally-binding guarantees that NATO will not continue to expand eastward, including in Ukraine and Georgia, because such moves represent a direct threat to Russia's national security. However, NATO member states have said the alliance's open door policy will remain in place.�
