SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Russia hands security demands to US official
Moscow, Dec 15 (AFP) Dec 15, 2021
Russia said Wednesday it had delivered its proposals for legal security guarantees over NATO's expansion to a top US diplomat after President Vladimir Putin said he wanted talks to start immediately.

On Wednesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed Russia's insistence to spell out in writing that NATO would halt its eastward expansion with Karen Donfried, US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Moscow said.

"A detailed discussion of the issue of security guarantees took place in the light of ongoing attempts by the United States and NATO to change the military-political situation in Europe in their favour," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Speaking to reporters later Wednesday, Putin's foreign policy advisor Yury Ushakov said Russian officials had handed over to Donfried a set of Moscow's proposals during the meeting.

He did not provide further details.

Last week, Putin and US leader Joe Biden held two hours of talks, with the Kremlin chief demanding that the West put in writing guarantees that Ukraine would not become a NATO launchpad.

After the high-profile talks the Russian foreign ministry published a list of demands, pressing for NATO to formally scrap a 2008 decision to open its door to Georgia and Ukraine, among other conditions.

Ushakov was speaking to reporters after a video call between Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday, saying Xi told Putin he "fully supports our initiative."

Putin for his part expressed hope that American and NATO officials would give a "positive evaluation" to Moscow's proposals, Ushakov said.

He added that he himself would also discuss the issue with a US official later Wednesday.

Putin said Tuesday he wants "immediate" talks with the United States and NATO over security guarantees, as tensions soar between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.

Donfried visited Kiev on Tuesday in a gesture of support in the face of Russia's troop buildup on the border.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Maven stays silent after routine pass behind Mars
ICE-CSIC leads a pioneering study on the feasibility of asteroid mining
NASA JPL Unveils Rover Operations Center for Moon, Mars Missions

24/7 Energy News Coverage
Thorium plated steel points to smaller nuclear clocks
Solar ghost particles seen flipping carbon atoms in underground detector
Overview Energy debuts airborne power beaming milestone for space based solar power

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Autonomous DARPA project to expand satellite surveillance network by BAE Systems
IAEA calls for repair work on Chernobyl sarcophagus
Momentus joins US Space Force SHIELD contract vehicle

24/7 News Coverage
UAlbany Atmospheric Scientist Proposes Innovative Method to Reduce Aviation's Climate Impact
Digital twin successfully launched and deployed into space
Robots that spare warehouse workers the heavy lifting



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.