Russia reveals US response to security proposals

 

Moscow’s top diplomat has expressed disappointment over the outcome of the long-awaited talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed that Moscow has received a written response from the US to its requests for assurances over NATO expansion, expressing disappointment over the lack of concessions.

Speaking on Thursday, the country’s top diplomat said, “there has been no positive response” to its core concerns in the document provided by the American side following weeks of talks with their counterparts.

“The main issue is our clear position on the unacceptability of further NATO expansion to the East and the deployment of highly-destructive weapons that could threaten the territory of the Russian Federation,” Lavrov explained.

According to Lavrov, the document promised by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken following talks last week in Switzerland failed to address these concerns.

“It is significant that when our Western colleagues react to our proposals, they always call for the implementation of agreed principles in the Euro-Atlantic... they immediately say this means NATO has the right to expand and no country has the right to prohibit it.”

READ MORE: Washington tells Russian ambassador he might have to leave

Reacting to the document later the same day, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said Russia is now contemplating its response, and the document is being assessed by President Vladimir Putin. According to the spokesman, the requests put forward by the Russian side have not been fully taken into account by Washington and the US-led military bloc.

“There are and should always be prospects… for further dialogue,” he said. “It is in our interests and in the interests of the Americans. But as for the substantive dialogue on the draft documents, there are issues of a different nature, but I will not get ahead of myself,” Peskov added.

Lavrov also revealed that the content of the document “is likely to become known to the general public in the very near future.” However, he added, “as our American colleagues told us, although they would prefer to keep it confidential, it has been agreed with all of the US’s allies, as well as the Ukrainian side. There’s no doubt it will be leaked in the very near future.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/547491-russia-reveals-response-security-proposal/