Vladimir Putin said the US and Russia would meet in January in Geneva to discuss tensions over Ukraine, which he said were essential to protect Moscow from what he claimed were existential threats from Nato.
Speaking at his annual press conference in Moscow on Thursday, the Russian president welcomed a “positive reaction” from the US to two sets of draft proposals on European security that Moscow published last week, which he said the sides would discuss at bilateral talks early next year.
“Our American partners are telling us they’re ready to start this discussion, these negotiations,” Putin said. “Representatives from both sides have been appointed. I hope that this is the way the situation will play out.”