MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. In response to the Russian proposals on security guarantees, the US wants to designate the spheres where they can react to Russia’s concerns, Bloomberg wrote on Tuesday referring to an EU official who asked not to be identified.
According to the source, the US is coordinating a written response to Russia’s security guarantee demands with the European Union and NATO. The agency quoted the official as saying that the US response would be unlikely to discuss these demands in detail, but would mention the spheres, where according to the Western allies, they could address Russia’s problems, as well as list Russia’s actions that cause concerns in Europe.
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry released draft agreements on the security guarantees that Moscow expects to receive from Washington and NATO. The two accords - one with the US and another one with the Western-led bloc - oblige NATO in particular to cease its eastward expansion, namely to drop plans on granting membership to Ukraine, and include restrictions on the deployment of serious offensive weapons, including nuclear ones.
Washington agreed to provide Moscow with a written response to its proposals on security guarantees following the January 21 meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The two countries’ top diplomats plan to hold another meeting after Moscow gets the answers.
At a news conference after the meeting, Lavrov told reporters that, in his opinion, publishing the US response would be the right thing to do. However, Russia will request Blinken’s consent to do so, he added.