The United States and its allies are prepared to discuss with Russia in talks about Ukraine the possibility of each side restricting military exercises and missile deployments in the region, a senior U.S. administration official said on Saturday.
With a crucial set of talks set to start on Monday in Geneva, the senior Biden administration official said the United States is not willing to discuss limits on U.S. troop deployments or the U.S. force posture in NATO countries in the region.
The Geneva talks, to be followed by other sessions in Brussels and Vienna, are aimed at averting a crisis. Russian President Vladimir Putin has massed tens of thousands of troops along the border with Ukraine, generating fears of an invasion.
Whether the United States and its European allies can make progress in the talks with Moscow is far from clear. Putin wants an end to NATO's eastward expansion and security guarantees, demands the United States says are unacceptable.