MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the situation in Ukraine in a telephone conversation with the high-ranking representatives from NATO, EU and the OSCE, the US Department of State said in a statement.
"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today by phone with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau, and EU High Representative Josep Borrell," the statement reads.
"The Secretary reaffirmed his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and discussed diplomatic engagements with Russia against the backdrop of Russia’s unprovoked military buildup on Ukraine’s borders," according to the statement.
"The participants agreed to continue to coordinate closely and committed to seek a diplomatic solution to prevent further aggression against Ukraine," the statement added.
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published Russia’s two draft agreements on security guarantees, which Moscow expects from Washington and NATO. The agreements with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization stipulate, among other things, the US-led bloc abandoning its designs on eastward expansion along with denying membership to Ukraine, in addition to restrictions on deploying serious offensive armaments, in particular, nuclear weapons. The sides have already held several rounds of consultations in various formats but have not announced any agreements reached yet.
On January 26, the United States and NATO handed over their written reply to Moscow’s proposals on security guarantees. The US side requested that the texts of these documents should not be published. However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg outlined their basic provisions. These statements suggest that the West has refused to make concessions fundamental for Moscow, but indicated areas for further negotiations.
Recently, Ukraine and some Western countries have been spreading allegations about Russia’s preparations for aggression in Donbass, where Kiev has been engaged in an internal armed confrontation with the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk since 2014.
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 allegations and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have very serious consequences.