GENEVA, January 10. /TASS/. Moscow will not back away from its security guarantee demands and the balance of interests between Russia and NATO can be found even in this case, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said after the Russia-US consultations on security guarantees on Monday.
"In our scale of priorities, three areas that I have mentioned represent the demands that we cannot back away from. I am confident that a general balance of interests suiting all the parties, a balance of interests between Russia, on the one hand, and the NATO group, on the other hand, can be found even in such a disposition," the senior Russian diplomat said.
For the first time in the diplomatic practice of many decades, the draft documents handed over to the United States and NATO were formulated "so straightforwardly, firmly and without any elements of ambiguity inadmissible in this case" and were published several days after their transfer, Ryabkov said.
"They reproach us that this is an attempt to exert pressure. This can be called anyway. Largely speaking, this is the desire to put cards on the table in the direct meaning of this word and show, what we say and do, what we think. Diplomacy, naturally, implies some compromises and a balance of interests. In this case, the search for such a balance of interests is also possible," the senior Russian diplomat said.
On December 17, Russia’s Foreign Ministry published drafts of an agreement with the United States on security guarantees and an agreement between Russia and the NATO member states on security measures. The drafts were handed over to the US side at a meeting in the Russian Foreign Ministry on December 15.