Putin Says Russia Doesn’t Want War, Ready to Continue Negotiations

 

Biden reaffirmed that the US and NATO won't deploy missiles to Ukraine

by Dave DeCamp 

Posted onFebruary 15, 2022CategoriesNewsTagsRussia, Ukraine

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow doesn’t want war and is prepared to continue negotiations with the US and NATO on missile deployments and other security issues.

“We are ready to work further together. We are ready to go down the negotiations track,” Putin said in a press conference alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Amid the heightened tensions over Ukraine, the US and Russia have maintained close contact. In response to Russia’s security proposals, the US presented Moscow with serious offers for arms control.

One of Putin’s main concerns is that the US and NATO might try to deploy missiles to Ukraine that can target Russian territory. In a speech on Tuesday, President Biden reaffirmed that there are no plans to do so. “Neither the US nor NATO have missiles in Ukraine. We do not — do not have plans to put them there as well,” he said.

Biden said he plans to continue diplomacy with Russia, something he made clear to Putin in a recent call. “This weekend I spoke again with President Putin to make clear that we are ready to keep pursuing high-level diplomacy to reach written understandings among Russia, the United States, and the nations of Europe to address legitimate security concerns,” he said.

One issue the two sides are still at odds over is the issue of Ukraine’s potential future NATO membership. Putin said the Western powers told him that Ukraine wouldn’t join the alliance in the near future, but he said the assurance is not enough. “We need to resolve this question now … [and] we hope very much our concern will be heard by our partners and taken seriously,” he said.

Also on Tuesday, Russia announced it was pulling back some troops from areas near Ukraine now that scheduled drills were completed. Despite the announcement, Biden warned a Russian invasion was still a “distinct” possibility and said the US hasn’t “verified” the Russian troop movements.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/02/15/putin-says-russia-doesnt-want-war-ready-to-continue-negotiations/