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US seeks to narrow down global security problems to Ukraine - Russian ambassador to US

Antonov says doesn’t believe in US readiness to ruin relations with Russia
Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov Valery Sharufulin/TASS
Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov
© Valery Sharufulin/TASS

MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. Washington is trying to limit all the international security issues to Ukraine, which is absolutely wrong, Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov said on the YouTube channel Soloviov Live on Saturday.

"You know, the US is trying to narrow down all the present-day problems to Ukraine. I believe it is absolutely wrong, it is an attempt to blur the true state of affairs," he said. Antonov said that Russian documents on security guarantees raise a question of the further development of the international security system.

"In fact, in the documents that we handed over to Americans and NATO, we did not just set a distinct signal about Ukraine or even about European security, we brought up a clear question about the prospects of international security. What world should we live in? Should we follow the teachings and decisions of the founding fathers of the post-war system of international relations, based on the UN and its Security Council? Should we abide by international treaties, agreements, international law or should we obey to dictates, force, some rules that are worked out without our participation?" the ambassador said.

Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov has said that he does not believe the United States seeks to wreck relations with Russia. When asked whether the United States was considering possible responses to Russia, the ambassador said, "It is being calculated. It is being calculated here."

"Frankly speaking, I do not believe that Americans are willing to ruin all the relations," the diplomat said. "They believe, as I see it, that we will not go to the end." According to Antonov, Americans are figuring the odds, trying to stay afloat.

"That is why they use minor points of strategic regional dialogue to show, ‘it’s not us, it’s the Russians,’ who are ruing Russian-US relations now. And we prove by examples, explain at an elementary level that it is like that," the ambassador added.

A meeting on "irritants" was held by Russian and US representatives in Vienna on February 3, but all the claims of Moscow were rejected, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on the YouTube channel Soloviov Live on Saturday.

"I cannot but tell you that on February 3, that is, the day before yesterday, Russian-US consultations on ‘irritants’ took place in Vienna," he said. "Regrettably, we received a negative response at those consultations," he said.

On December 17, 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a draft agreement with the United States on security guarantees and another one on measures ensuring the security of Russia and NATO member states. Russia-US consultations on these issues were held in Geneva on January 10. A Russia-NATO Council meeting was held in Brussels on January 12, and a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council was held in Vienna on January 13.

Russia is looking forward to a prompt response to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's written message on the indivisibility of security, which was submitted to the top diplomats of Canada, the US and several European countries on January 28.