MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. Russia and the West will continue consultations on security guarantees in the near future, a Russian Foreign Ministry source told TASS.
"The series of contacts will continue in the near future," the source said, adding that "no specific agreements on the dates and level" of consultations had been made yet.
According to him, Moscow is disappointed by Western partners’ failure to move forward "to meet Russia halfway" in terms of security. "However, we can see that our opponents have a serious approach to a number of aspects, including the current arms control agenda," he added. The source noted that the other party "has shown interest in dialogue, which is a good thing per se."
On December 17, 2021, 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 the other with the Western-led bloc - particularly oblige NATO to cease its eastward expansion, namely to drop plans on granting Ukraine membership, and envisage restrictions on the deployment of serious offensive weapons, including nuclear ones.
The United States and NATO handed their written responses to Russia’s security proposals over to Moscow on January 26. Washington had asked Moscow not to make the documents public, but US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg did announce their main provisions. According to their statements, the West refused to give Russia the concessions that it found crucial, but outlined areas for further talks.