Russia says it wants a legally binding guarantee that NATO would give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, part of a wish list of security guarantees it wants to negotiate with the West.
A Ukrainian soldier looks on at the line of separation from pro-Russian rebels near Popasna, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, 7 December, 2021.Russia on Friday unveiled proposals to contain the United States and NATO in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, calling for urgent negotiations with Washington as it amasses forces near Ukraine.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia was ready to hold urgent security talks with the United States "as early as" Saturday. "If there is any further aggression against Ukraine, that will have massive, massive consequences and will carry a high price," the official said. Russian President Vladimir Putin denies planning an attack and blames NATO for the rise in tensions, demanding "legal guarantees" the alliance will not expand eastwards.
The draft said Washington should block NATO membership of any former Soviet country - a reference to Ukraine as well as Georgia, which have both infuriated Moscow after Western tilts. Political analyst Konstantin Kalachev described Russia's list of demands as "unrealistic and impossible" for the United States and NATO to meet.US President Joe Biden met Mr Putin in Geneva in June, with the two leaders agreeing to seek more stable relations, but Western powers have also stood firm on backing Ukraine amid the war that has claimed 13,000 lives since 2014.
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