Russia is demanding a written U.S. response to "security guarantees" next week. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has confirmed that they will be provided. Blinken said this at a briefing after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Blinken said he will consult with President Biden, members of Congress and allies upon his return to Washington.

"Based on our discussions today, Secretary Lavrov and I agreed that continuing the diplomatic process is important. I told him that after consulting in the coming days with our co-conspirators and partners, we expect to be able to share our concerns and ideas with Russia in more detail and in writing, next week. And we agreed to have further discussions after that," the U.S. secretary of state said.

Blinken also stressed several times that it all depends on what Russia does next and what path it chooses: diplomacy or escalation.

Blinken assured that after today's meeting, he still sees room for further agreements, particularly on arms control and other risk-reduction measures, and hopes that this can address some of the concerns that both Russia and the U.S. have expressed.