Russia’s main concerns over Ukraine not addressed by NATO, US says Foreign
“There is no positive reaction on the main issue in this document,” Sergey Lavrov told journalists in Moscow. “The main issue is our clear position on the inadmissibility of further expansion of NATO to the East and the deployment of strike weapons that could threaten the territory of the Russian Federation.”
Russia has repeatedly denied it is planning an invasion but has argued that NATO support for Ukraine — including increased weapons supplies and military training — constitutes a growing threat on its western flank.
Lavrov explained the US and NATO had previously agreed within the context of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) not to expand at the expense of Russia’s safety.
“We present non-verbal promises, written documents signed by the leaders of all the OSCE countries, including the President of the United States (Istanbul Declaration of 1999, Astana Declaration of 2010), our Western partners have to get out from a more serious situation,” Lavrov explained. “This principle is clearly stated. It has two main interrelated approaches. First, the right of every state to freely choose military alliances is recognized. Second: the obligation of each state not to strengthen its security at the expense of the security of others.”
“In other words, the right to choose alliances is clearly conditioned by the need to take into account the security interests of any other OSCE state, including the Russian Federation,” Lavrov concluded.
The Russian Foreign Minister conceded the responses by the US and NATO could lead to serious discussions but only on secondary issues.
“There is a reaction there that allows us to count on the beginning of a serious conversation, but on secondary topics,” he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov echoed the same concerns on Thursday, saying on the surface, Russia’s prime concerns had not been addressed. He however refused to give an official definitive answer to the responses presented by the US and NATO.
“The President already read the written responses,” he said. “All the papers are with the President. It will take some time to analyze them, we will not rush to any conclusions.”
Russia’s official response would not take long but Peskov cautioned it wouldn’t happen straight away.
NATO sees ‘room for progress’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the US’s written response to Russia “sets out a serious diplomatic path forward should Russia choose it.”
The US has repeatedly said Putin’s central demand, that the US and NATO commit to never admitting Ukraine to the alliance, is non-negotiable.
Blinken declined to detail specifics presented to Moscow in the written response, but reiterated the West’s public response to uphold NATO’s “open-door policy,” rejecting Moscow’s demands that NATO commit to never admitting Ukraine.
“There is no change. There will be no change,” Blinken said of US and NATO support for the alliance’s open-door policy.
“We make clear that there are…
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