Moscow guarantees proposals to US, NATO no longer valid

Russia’s previously proposed security guarantees to the United States and NATO are no longer valid because the situation has changed drastically, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Saturday.

Asked in an interview with Russia’s Channel One television broadcaster whether Moscow’s proposals on security guarantees for the United States and NATO were still in force, Ryabkov replied that he “would not be saying that proposals of such type may remain in force.”

“On the whole, the configuration has completely changed and the current situation is drastically different,” the high-ranking diplomat said. “The issue now is to provide for reaching the aims, which were set by our authorities before launching a special military operation.”

Ryabkov stressed that the Russian side resorted “to its utmost efforts to maintain and provide for the European security architecture without a collapse, which emerged following an absolutely irresponsible and criminal policy implemented by the current regime in Kiev and its curators in the West, led by the United States.”

“We of course, if the Americans are willing, are ready to resume the dialogue and definitely are set and able to work in this direction, including within the frames of the Treaty on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms [the New START Treaty], which stalled as well. Everything depends on Washington now,” Ryabkov noted.

“If we speak about the future of the European security architecture as well as about the future regarding the arms control, the question is again about how our opponents, our enemies led by the United States, will be ready and whether they will be ready at all for talks,” he said.

He also stated that on February 25, the day after Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, “American colleagues announced their decision to wrap up and close a dialogue on the strategic European security.”

“I would like to use this moment to warn them against taking incautious steps,” Ryabkov added.

On December 17, 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry published Russia’s two draft agreements on security guarantees, which Moscow expected from Washington and NATO.

On January 26, the United States and NATO handed over their written reply to Moscow’s proposals on security guarantees. The US side requested that the texts of these documents should not be published. However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg outlined their basic provisions. These statements suggest that the West has refused to make concessions fundamental for Moscow, but indicated areas for further negotiations.

When clarifying the developments unfolding, the Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine in order to protect people “who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.” The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories and the operation was aimed at demilitarizing and denazifying Ukraine.