Ukraine crisis: Blinken says US offers no concessions in response to Russian demands

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington has made no concessions to Russia’s main demands on Ukraine and NATO, in a written response delivered to Moscow on Wednesday.

Earlier, Russia said it had received a US response to its demands, including NATO’s withdrawal from Eastern Europe, a central issue in Ukraine’s security crisis.

The Foreign Ministry in Moscow said in a statement that US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan had delivered Washington’s written response to his security demands to Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grouchko.

Russia has demanded assurances that NATO will stop its eastward expansion, drop Ukraine and other former Soviet countries from membership, and reduce its military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.

But Blinken said Wednesday’s response to Russia makes it abundantly clear that the United States remains true to its principles. “There are no changes, there will be no changes,” he said.

Speaking at a news conference, the secretary of state said the US proposals offered Russia a “serious diplomatic path to follow.” These included safeguarding the right of nations to choose their own alliances, he added.

“We make it clear that there are basic principles that we are committed to upholding and defending, including Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the right of states to choose their own security arrangements and alliances,” Blinken said.

NATO offers dialogue

In December, Moscow laid out its security demands in two documents: a proposed treaty with the US and an agreement with NATO.

NATO said on Wednesday that it had also provided its response to Moscow, as it described the Russian demands as “unacceptable”.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to “immediately de-escalate” and said NATO believes in “dialogue and diplomacy,” not the threat or use of force. He went on to list various areas where he believed NATO and Moscow could cooperate, reopening offices and increasing communication.

The alliance, he said, was ready to listen to Russia’s concerns about Ukraine and engage in real dialogue on upholding security deals in Europe that both sides had already signed.

That meant respecting the rights of nations to choose their own security arrangements, as well as Russia refraining from malign activities and withdrawing its forces from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, where they were deployed without the consent of these countries, he added.

Stoltenberg also urged talks on arms control. He insisted that NATO was a “defensive alliance” and did not seek confrontation and would not compromise its principles.

Lavrov considers “retaliatory measures”

Earlier on Wednesday, before the US and NATO announcements, Russia’s foreign minister addressed the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly. Sergei Lavrov said he and other top officials would advise President Vladimir Putin on next steps after receiving written responses from the United States to Moscow’s demands.

“If a constructive response does not come and the West continues its aggressive course, Moscow, as the president has said on more than one occasion, will take the necessary retaliatory measures,” Lavrov said.

Asked by lawmakers if Russia could expand military cooperation with Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua as part of those measures, Lavrov responded that Moscow has close ties with those countries in the Western Hemisphere and seeks to deepen them.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied that it intends to invade Ukraine, but the United States and its NATO allies are concerned as Russia has deployed some 100,000 troops near Ukraine and launched a series of sweeping military moves.

in a interview with Euronews On Wednesday, Vladimir Chizhov, Russia’s longtime ambassador to the European Union, said fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine were a “bluff” and a “hysterical message” spread by Western countries.

European moves to revive diplomacy

Representatives from Russia and Ukraine, along with French and German officials, held talks in Paris amid rising tensions between Moscow and Kiev.

The talks are the latest diplomatic efforts to try to avoid conflict between the two countries. Several rounds of high-stakes diplomacy have made no headway.

The meeting is implementing the so-called “Normandy format” that was previously used to restore relations between Ukraine and Russia, after their annexation of Crimea in 2014.

France has called for more dialogue to reduce tensions. The Elysee said that President Macron would speak with the Russian and Ukrainian presidents “in the coming days”.

A spokesman added that the aim of the talks would be “the continuation of the dialogue” as part of the de-escalation strategy and “pressure Russia to clarify its position and the purpose of the maneuvers deployed” on the border with Ukraine.

There were similar words at a meeting between the French and Dutch foreign ministers in Berlin.

Annalena Baerbock from Germany stressed that the common goal of the European Union in the Ukraine crisis “is and remains the defense of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“Any new aggression by Russia against Ukraine would have serious political, strategic and equally economic and financial consequences,” he said.

“It is very important that we make it clear to Russia, united, that the actors must continue the dialogue, but that we will never accept a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. Further acts of aggression will have serious consequences,” Baerbock’s Dutch counterpart Wopke added. Hoekstra.

The UK has sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, although it has ruled out sending combat troops.

“We are supplying defensive weapons to Ukraine. We are providing economic support and we are urging Russia to desist from an incursion, and we are making it very clear that if they did, there would be serious economic costs. to Russia,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.

Ukraine seeks to calm nerves

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday that while the concentration of Russian troops near Ukraine poses a threat, “their number is now insufficient for a large-scale offensive.”

“They are still missing some key military elements and systems to mount a large-scale offensive,” Kuleba told reporters.

Amid the tensions, the US, Britain, Australia, Germany and Canada have moved to withdraw some of their diplomats and dependents from Kiev.

Russia’s military exercises so far have seen infantry and motorized artillery units in southwestern Russia practice firing live ammunition, warplanes in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea carry out bombing raids, dozens of warships sail for training exercises in the Black Sea and the Arctic, and Russian fighter planes. and paratroopers arrive in Belarus for joint war games.

Meanwhile, NATO said this week it was beefing up its deterrence in the Baltic Sea region and the United States has ordered 8,500 troops on high alert for possible deployment to Europe.

Six US warplanes arrived in Estonia on Wednesday to reinforce NATO’s mission in the country. The F-15E planes landed at the Amari base, in the northwest of the country, to participate in an exercise.

Four Danish planes are due to arrive in Lithuania on Thursday.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has called for a greater US presence in the Baltic countries to deter his Russian neighbor.