WASHINGTON, February 1. /TASS/. The United States has received Russia’s feedback on Washington’s proposals regarding security and de-escalation around Ukraine, a US Department of State spokesperson has told TASS.
"We can confirm we received a written follow-up from Russia," he said, refusing to disclose the contents of the document.
"It would be unproductive to negotiate in public, so we’ll leave it up to Russia if they want to discuss their response. We remain fully committed to dialogue to address these issues and will continue to consult closely with our Allies and partners, including Ukraine," the official added.
On December 17, 2021, the Russian foreign ministry released a draft agreement on security guarantees between Russia and the United States, and a draft agreement on ensuring the security of Russia and NATO member states. The proposed measures include guarantees that NATO will not advance eastward, including the accession of Ukraine and other countries into the alliance, as well as non-deployment of serious offensive weapons, including nuclear ones. West claims that the discussion is aimed at preventing an alleged Russian invasion of Ukraine.
On January 26, the US and NATO handed over their written responses to Russia. The US side asked to keep the contents of those documents secret. However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke publicly about the document’s main provisions, saying that the West made no concessions regarding Russia’s core concerns, but outlined areas of further negotiations.
The West and Kiev have recently been echoing allegations about Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded", serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such claims and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.