Russian Ambassador in Washington: NATO's efforts to develop former Soviet republics are unacceptable
Photo: Anton Vaganov / Reuters
Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said that there were no concrete results following negotiations with NATO and the United States. The corresponding message was published by the Russian Embassy in the United States on its Facebook page.
The diplomat noted that the main theme of the talks was the preservation of peace and stability in Europe through the development of security guarantees on the basis of draft agreements proposed by Moscow. He clarified that the situation in Ukraine was not on the agenda of the Russian-American talks in Geneva, but was mentioned only as a secondary topic at consultations with NATO in Brussels.
Threat to national security
Antonov also said that NATO's eastward expansion is one of the main threats to Russia's national security. He explained that due to the advancement of the alliance, the flight time of aviation and missile weapons to Moscow, St. Petersburg and other cities of the European part of the country is being reduced. “How would the US government react if Washington, New York or Los Angeles were “under the gun”?” Antonov said.
According to the diplomat, about 40 major exercises are held annually in the immediate vicinity of Russia's borders, including testing the launch of cruise missiles by strategic aviation and naval maneuvers in the Black and Baltic Seas. He also added that after the collapse of the USSR, the security situation in Europe deteriorated sharply.
On the edge of the abyss
The Russian ambassador drew attention to the fact that no state has the right to strengthen its security at the expense of others. In this regard, he stressed that NATO's efforts aimed at the military development of the former Soviet republics are unacceptable to Russia. According to Antonov, this is fraught with the deployment of missile systems and other destabilizing weapons systems that threaten the country. This, in turn, will lead to a manifold increase in the risks of an escalation of a direct military clash not only in the region, but also beyond its borders.
Everything has its limits. We are, in fact, on the brink of an abyss.
Anatoly AntonovAmbassador of Russia to the USA
To prevent such a development of events, Moscow prepared drafts of two agreements on security guarantees – with the US and NATO. He noted that the continuation of the dialogue depends on what response the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance will give to these proposals. At the same time, he stressed that Russia is ready to continue the discussion and counter proposals.
US response
In turn, the United States expressed hope for continued dialogue on security issues with Russia. As a US State Department spokesman noted, the coming days will give a big indication of whether Moscow is sincerely interested in diplomacy.
At the same time, he noted that “if Russia leaves the negotiations, it will become clear that it was never ready for interaction.” At the same time, he added that in the coming weeks, the department will closely coordinate its actions with allies and partners.
The meeting of the Russia-NATO Council was held on January 12. Russia is trying to obtain from NATO guarantees of its non-expansion, and the North Atlantic Alliance from Russia – guarantees of non-aggression against Ukraine. NATO refused to guarantee that Ukraine would not join the alliance. For his part, the European Union representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borrell, called Russia's proposals on security guarantees unacceptable for Europe. The request for non-expansion of NATO to the East is contrary to the principle of the sovereignty of independent countries.
