BRUSSELS, January 12. /TASS/. Moscow needs to take precautionary measures to ensure its security in response to the hawkish rhetoric and actions of Ukraine, and it will do this, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said at the press conference following the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels.
"Each country has the right to defend its frontiers and ensure its own security. If you look at the changes in Ukraine’s strategy, where Russia has been called the enemy and according to which the entire military machine should be focused on countering the "Russian threat," of course, we need to take precautions, and we will do it. Especially in light of the fact that for many years there has been no Russian military at all near Ukraine," the senior diplomat stressed.
He pointed out that there is no Russian military presence in Donbas, it is NATO forces that are deployed in Ukraine. In addition, Grushko added that the only way to a peaceful resolution of the internal Ukrainian crisis is the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. "This is the only formula that allows us to resolve this internal conflict and create the necessary context for solving more important, more difficult security issues," he concluded.
The meeting of the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels was the second round of consultations between Russia and Western states on Russian proposals on European security. The first stage - the Russia-US talks were held in Geneva on January 10, the third round at the OSCE Permanent Council will be held in Vienna on January 13. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko and Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin will represent Moscow at the NATO-Russia Council meeting. On behalf of NATO, the permanent representatives of 30 bloc member states will be taking part in the Brussels meeting, along with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and high-ranking military delegates from the alliance’s states.