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Ball is still in Western court on security guarantees — Russian lawmaker

The US and NATO are playing a dangerous ping-pong by saying that the ball is now in the Russian court, Leonid Slutsky noted

MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. Head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky on Wednesday said while the responses by the US and NATO have yet to be studied, the statements that have been reported suggest that Russian concerns haven’t been met.

"The US and NATO are playing a dangerous ping-pong by saying that the ball is now in the Russian court," he told reporters. "The ball is still in the Western court."

The responses by the US and NATO have yet to be studied but judging by the statements of NATO secretary general and US secretary of state, Russian security concerns have been ignored, Slutsky said. Instead, he said the West is pursuing confrontational rhetoric and assertions that Russia purportedly plans to invade Ukraine.

Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan delivered Washington’s written response to Russia’s proposed agreement on security guarantees to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

On December 17 last year, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft agreements on security guarantees addressed to the US and NATO, which say NATO won’t expand eastward, deny membership to Ukraine and limit deployment of serious offensive weapons, including nuclear ones.

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