IRYNA BALACHUK – SUNDAY, 30 OCTOBER 2022, 10:00
The spokesman for the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, stated that a basis for talks between Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden could be the desire of the United States to listen to “Russia’s concerns” about security guarantees.
Source: Russian Kremlin-aligned news outlets RIA Novosti and RBC, citing Peskov’s statements on the programme titled “Moscow.Kremlin.Putin” on Russian official television
Peskov’s quote: “The desire of the United States to listen to our concerns, which is in fact the desire of the United States to return to the situation of December 2021-January 2022 and to ask itself the question: what the Russians are offering may not suit us all, but perhaps we should sit down at the negotiating table. I am referring to the draft documents that were submitted to both Brussels and Washington.”
Details: On 27 October, at the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has invaded Ukraine and violated the international order, said that sooner or later the West will have to start “a dialogue on an equal footing”.
Background:
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On 17 December 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation published two draft agreements on so-called “security guarantees” that Vladimir Putin demanded from NATO, and which Moscow sent to Washington.
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In one of the articles of a draft treaty between the US and the Russian Federation, Russia proposed that the Alliance member countries “undertake to prevent further eastward expansion of NATO and deny accession to the Alliance to the States of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics” (which includes Ukraine). In addition, one of the proposed articles in a draft agreement between Russia and NATO states that NATO member states “shall not conduct any military activity on the territory of Ukraine as well as other States in the Eastern Europe, in the South Caucasus and in Central Asia.”
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg replied that the Alliance was open to the possibility of a dialogue with the Russian Federation on this issue; however, any dialogue should include the Alliance’s concerns and Ukraine’s position.
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The Russian Federation announced that they would only discuss “security guarantees” with the United States of America.
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On 24 February, Russia invaded Ukraine, justifying its invasion by the threat from Ukraine and NATO to the Russian Federation.
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