MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Russia does not want any war and this is why it proposed holding negotiations on equal security in Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday.
"Do we want it or not? Of course, not," the Russian leader said in response to a question from Deutsche Welle about whether he ruled out the possibility of a war in Europe. "This is why, we put forward the proposals on the negotiating process that must result in an agreement on ensuring equal security for all states, including our country," Putin emphasized.
Unfortunately, Moscow has not received a substantive and constructive reply to its proposals, the Russian leader said.
Nonetheless, Russia sees in the documents received from the United States and NATO "some elements that can be discussed," Putin pointed out.
"But we are ready to do this only in conjunction with those fundamental issues that are of top priority for us," the Russian leader emphasized.
Moscow expects the dialogue to develop precisely in this way, Putin said.
"Depending on how it will develop, it will be crucial for the situation to develop on all the other tracks that are of your and our concern," the Russian leader stressed.
"And they concern us just in the same way as they concern you, I can assure you," he added.
Common European security
The West and Kiev have recently been spreading allegations about Russia’s potential ‘invasion’ of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly rejected these claims. However, the Kremlin did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such allegations and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have very serious consequences.
Simultaneously, talks continue on common European security. On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published Russia’s two draft agreements on security guarantees, which Moscow expects from Washington and NATO.
On January 26, the United States and NATO handed over their written reply to Moscow’s proposals on security guarantees. As Russian President Putin said, Washington and Brussels ignored Russia’s key demands in their replies. The Kremlin also said that the West’s proposals contained some important but secondary issues.