US Permanent Representative to NATO: it is now impossible to reach a compromise with the Russian Federation on non-expansion of the alliance
Photo: Francisco Seco / AP
The United States does not see much room for a compromise with Russia on NATO non-expansion. This was stated by the Permanent Representative of the United States to the alliance Julianne Smith, RIA Novosti reports.
“Our door remains open. Nobody has the right to slam it with his foot. And any decision on enlargement will continue to be made by the alliance and the country concerned, ”the American diplomat said. According to her, today there are no proposals for changes in NATO's policy on the expansion of the organization.
Earlier, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Russia would seek a substantive NATO response to the draft agreement on security guarantees. His words were heard before the meeting of the RF-NATO Council. It will touch upon the non-deployment of medium and short-range missiles near the borders of the Russian Federation and the refusal to expand NATO at the expense of the former republics of the USSR.
On January 10, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov assessed the talks with the United States on security and said that Moscow was not confident that Washington would implement the legally formalized agreements on security guarantees if the parties conclude an agreement.
