Russia has asked for a list of sweeping new security guarantees it wants from the United States and NATO
Russia has released a draft of security plans for easing out tensions with the West, which demands North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to deny membership to Ukraine and all the other ex-Soviet countries.
The draft security proposal also states that NATO withdraw all its troops and weapons from Ukraine. This comes after Europe warned Russia of newer and stricter sanctions which it has worked out with United States (U.S.). The Europe said that sanctions would be imposed jointly by European Union (E.U.), U.S. and United Kingdom (U.K.), if Russia invades Ukraine.
The Russian proposal also says there must be a ban on sending U.S. and Russian warships and aircraft to areas from where they can attack each other’s territory as well as a halt to NATO military drills near Russia’s borders. Russia’s draft also envisages a pledge not to station intermediate-range missiles in areas where they can strike the other party’s territory.
Russia has already submitted these demands to U.S. However, the West has said it will discuss the proposal with its partners. The Secretary General of NATO – Jens Stoltenberg emphasised that any security talks with Moscow would need to take into account the alliance’s concerns and involve Ukraine and other partners.
Taking it to twitter, Jens Stoltenberg tweeted,
#NATO Allies are gravely concerned by the substantial Russian military build-up on the borders of #Ukraine & reject false claims of Ukrainian and NATO provocations. Read the statement by the North Atlantic Council https://t.co/RLw0ur1Mx5
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) December 16, 2021
He also said that NATO has received the Russian proposal and that any dialogue with Russia would also need to address NATO’s concerns about Russia’s actions and should be based on core principles and documents of European security. He said that the dialogue must also take place in consultation with Ukraine. More than 30 NATO member nations have made it clear that Russia should take concrete steps to reduce tensions.
After publishing the draft documents, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia – Sergei Ryabkov said Russia’s relations with the U.S. and NATO have approached a “dangerous point” saying that alliance deployments and drills near Russia’s borders have raised unacceptable threats to its security. Russia wants U.S. to start negotiations on its proposals in Geneva immediately.
The National Security Adviser to White House – Jake Sullivan has said that U.S. is ready to discuss Moscow’s concerns about NATO in talks with Russian officials.
Sullivan said, “We’re approaching the broader question of diplomacy with Russia from the point of view that … meaningful progress at the negotiating table, of course, will have to take place in a context of de-escalation rather than escalation.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine said that Kyiv has an exclusive sovereign right to run its own foreign policy and that only Ukraine and NATO could decide upon its membership.
It urged Moscow to re-engage with a peace process in eastern Ukraine, where some 15,000 people have been killed in a 7-year conflict between Ukrainian Government troops and Russian-backed separatists.
