Russian, US presidential aides speak on phone

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russian and US presidential advisers held a phone talk on Monday, the Kremlin spokesman said.

Russian president's foreign affairs adviser Yury Ushakov and US national security adviser Jake Sullivan discussed the recent Russian proposal on security guarantees, Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

The discussion was "businesslike and pragmatic," he said, adding the two officials agreed to further maintain contacts.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on NATO to start talks aiming to provide Russia with reliable, legally binding, and long-term security guarantees.

On Dec. 15, Ushakov announced Russia handed the draft of its proposals to the US and NATO, and two days later the Russian Foreign Ministry published the text of the draft agreements, suggested by Russia.

However, Moscow has not yet received any response to its proposal, according to the top Russian officials.