The EU spoke out for discussing security issues with Russia within the framework of existing formats

“The Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of Paris offered us the key principles around which European security is built.

For this, we have developed a number of confidence-building mechanisms, "RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.

Stano noted that the NATO-Russia Council and OSCE mechanisms are fundamental to any interaction with Russia.

In the EU, the diplomat stressed, they believe that a sovereign state "has the right to freely choose its foreign policy, security policy and alliances."

“Russia must understand and respect this,” Stano summed up.

On December 17, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published draft treaties with the United States and the North Atlantic Alliance on security guarantees.

In particular, the draft stipulates that NATO undertakes to exclude Ukraine from joining the alliance.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that he had received Russia's proposals on security guarantees.

Later it became known that the United States will transmit to Russia its proposals for negotiations on security next week.