MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. NATO knows perfectly well which military-technical measures Russia may take if it turns down Russia’s security guarantees initiatives, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview with the Kommersant daily that came out on Monday.
"We are threatening no one. We are warning. Our position is absolutely clear and predictable. We have worded it quite clearly and now are waiting for a similarly honest response," he said. "NATO knows perfectly well what kind of military-technical measures may follow from Russia. We make no secret of our possibilities and are acting very transparently."
According to the senior diplomat, concrete measures will depend on the military potentials that could be used against Russia’s interests. Moscow, in his words, will make a decision on continuing dialogue on its security guarantees with NATO and the United States after it receives "written answers to its written proposals." "We will make up our mind then," he added.
On December 17, the Russian foreign ministry released two Russian draft agreements on security guarantees for the United States and NATO. One of the things Russia insists on is a guarantee from NATO that it will not expand any further eastwards and that Ukraine will not be admitted to the alliance. Apart from that, Russia insists on a ban on the deployment of serious offensive weapons, including nuclear arms.
The Russian-US consultations on security guarantees were held in Geneva on Monday. On January 12, a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council was held in Brussels and the OSCE Permanent Council gathered for a meeting in Vienna on the following day.