MOSCOW, January 27 - RIA Novosti. Russia should work out concrete, including forceful methods of influencing NATO, since by their responses the Alliance and the United States actually rejected Moscow's proposals on security guarantees, said Vladimir Vinokurov, Vice President of the League of Military Diplomats, professor of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The United States and NATO on the eve handed over to Russia the answers to the proposals on security guarantees. Based on the statements of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the American document reflects the concerns of the States about Russia's actions in the security sphere and proposals on areas where countries can find common ground.
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| Draft agreement on security guarantees between Russia and the United States. |
| Source: RIA Novosti |
According to him, there are "very positive things" in the response, the United States is ready to move forward in areas where cooperation with Russia is possible, ready to discuss common security. At the same time, it was stressed once again that the United States will not compromise the principle of "open doors" of NATO.
"After the answers of the West, the eternal Russian question arises before us: "What to do?". It was hardly possible to push NATO to abandon the basic principles of the Alliance, but we cannot be satisfied with negative responses to the main requests set out in our documents. It is important that Moscow launches this narrative in a form that the West clearly did not expect," Vinokurov told RIA Novosti.
According to him, Russia thus "made it clear that we are not ready for an endless prolongation of negotiations."
In this light, the expert expressed bewilderment at the invitation of the British Foreign and defense ministers to Moscow, noting that this visit would be another attempt to "take Moscow aside."
Vinokurov recalled the statement by Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko on the creation of Russian "counter-threats" to the security of the Alliance countries in the event of a failure of the West.
According to the expert, after receiving written responses from NATO and the United States, Moscow should move on to developing "concrete measures of influence."
At the end of 2021, Russia published drafts of a treaty with the United States and an agreement with NATO on security guarantees. Moscow, in particular, demanded from Western partners legal guarantees against further expansion of NATO to the east, from joining the bloc of Ukraine and from the creation of military bases in post-Soviet countries.
The proposals also contained a clause on the non-deployment of NATO strike weapons near the borders of Russia and the withdrawal of alliance forces in Eastern Europe to the positions of 1997. The United States and NATO on Wednesday gave Russia the answers to these proposals.
