Top Russian, American diplomats talk via telephone about security guarantees

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the necessity of further joint work on Russia's security guarantees proposals in a telephone discussion Tuesday, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"Lavrov particularly emphasized the inadmissibility of the aggressive rhetoric, whipped up by Washington and its closest allies, calling for a pragmatic dialogue on the entire range of issues raised by Russia with an emphasis on the principle of indivisibility of security," it said.

The two diplomats also discussed the schedule of contacts, it added.

Last December, Russia presented to the US and NATO its proposal on providing security guarantees in Europe that takes into account the country's interests.

After a series of talks, the US and NATO handed their written responses to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Jan. 27.