OREANDA-NEWS. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a December 30 briefing that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Joe Biden will talk on the phone ahead of the face-to-face talks between the two countries.

“These are very complex substances that are on the agenda. Since the last conversation, the Russian side has formulated its position, from our point of view, there is a need for another telephone conversation, which would precede the start of the aforementioned negotiations, ”said Peskov, speaking about the goals of the planned conversation.

Peskov clarified that this is a regular telephone conversation without a public part.

“The purpose of the conversation is very clear - to continue the discussion of those issues that were on the agenda quite recently on video conferencing (VCS). This is a continuation of the discussion that was started on the videoconferencing and discussion of the upcoming negotiations, which will be on January 10, 11 and 12, "Peskov said.

As Peskov noted, the leaders of the two countries will have to discuss many issues. The Kremlin also clarified that any negotiations are being conducted with the aim of reaching a compromise, taking into account the principled positions of each other. The conversation was initiated by Putin.

On Thursday, December 30, at 23:30 Moscow time, a telephone conversation between Putin and Biden will take place. During the upcoming conversation, the American leader intends to discuss bilateral talks between Moscow and Washington, which will take place on January 10.

On December 29, during a telephone briefing for journalists, a representative of the US administration said that the United States had prepared plans to strengthen NATO and allies in case the situation around Ukraine deteriorated further. The United States intends to discuss with Russia European security, the settlement of the situation in Ukraine in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and in the NATO-Russia Council - a draft treaty with the alliance, he added.

Against the background of tensions around Ukraine, Russia and the United States are planning to hold a meeting in the format of a strategic dialogue at the level of representatives of the Foreign Ministry on January 10. A meeting of the Russia-NATO Council is scheduled for January 12, a multilateral meeting at the OSCE site is to take place a day later.