Steve Holland

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The United States and its allies are ready to talk with Russia about the possibility that each side would limit military exercises and missile installations in the area. This was a top U.S. government official stated on Saturday.

Biden’s senior administration official indicated that there is no willingness to negotiate limits on U.S. troop and force deployments to NATO countries.

These talks are intended to avoid a crisis and will be followed in Brussels and Vienna by additional sessions. Russian President Vladimir Putin has gathered tens and thousands of troops near the Ukraine-Russia border to avoid an invasion.

The question of whether the United States and its European allies are able to move forward in talks with Moscow remains unclear. The demands of the United States, which Putin considers unacceptable, include an end to NATO’s expansion eastward and security guarantees.

However, the top U.S. diplomat, who briefed reporters before the talks began, stated that there were some areas where they believe there is a chance for agreement.

According to the official, “Any discussions of the overlapping areas in which we may be able make progress would need to be reciprocal.” The official stated that both sides should make the exact same commitment.

Russia claims it is being threatened by the possibility of US missile defense systems reaching Ukraine, despite the assurances of President Joe Biden that they have no plans to do so.

The official stated that Russia could be willing to reciprocally commit in this area.

Officials said that the United States was open to discussions about imposing limits on both military exercise in the region.

The official stated that they were open to exploring the possibility of mutual restrictions regarding the scope and size of these exercises. This includes both ground-based and strategic bombers.

After the Trump administration pulled out of the 1987 U.S.-Russia Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, based on allegations that Moscow had violated the agreement in 2019, the official stated Washington would be open to having a wider discussion about the deployment missiles in the area.