"We do not threaten anyone": Antonov called Washington's rhetoric about Moscow's "aggressive" plans groundless

The rhetoric of Washington and the Western press about Moscow's "aggressive" plans has no basis, said Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov in an interview with the American magazine Newsweek.

“The daily warnings from the State Department and the Pentagon about the buildup of Russia's military presence near the Ukrainian border are nothing more than propaganda.

Let me remind you that Russia has every right to freely move its troops on its own territory and conduct training events.

We do not threaten anyone, ”Antonov emphasized.

He also touched upon the issue of settling the internal Ukrainian conflict, noting that stability in Donbass is achievable only if the Minsk agreements are observed.

“We call on the United States to put pressure on Kiev in order to get it to fulfill its obligations in accordance with the relevant document.

We want Washington to send a clear signal to Ukraine about the inadmissibility of revising the Minsk agreements, which are an indisputable foundation for resolving the situation, "Antonov emphasized.

According to him, the United States has the resources to stimulate the Ukrainian president to implement the Minsk agreements, which are legally binding.

"By the way, many American experts began to unequivocally note that Kiev is openly sabotaging the (Minsk.

) agreements, refraining from direct dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk," the Russian ambassador added.

Antonov also reported on Russia's position on the relationship between Kiev and the North Atlantic Alliance.

The diplomat stressed that the continuation of NATO's militarization of Ukraine, the presence of Western armed forces on its territory and the hypothetical membership of this country in the alliance are unacceptable for Russia.

“Such steps represent the intersection of red lines from the point of view of our national interests.

There is a need for a legally binding agreement involving the United States and its European allies that will prevent NATO from expanding eastward and deploying weapons along Russia's western borders, ”Antonov said.

Earlier, the assistant to the head of the White House for national security, Jake Sullivan, said that Russia allegedly "did not take a decision" on the "invasion" of Ukraine.

“The current assessment of the US government is that he (Putin.

) has not yet made a decision.

So, since last week, there have been no changes in this regard, ”Reuters quoted Sullivan as saying.

• Flags of the USA and Russia

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• © Anton Vaganov / File

However, in his opinion, "the analysis presented by the intelligence community, which indicates that the Russian authorities are seriously considering such a step and are engaged in its operational planning, is quite reasonable."

Meanwhile, Western media continue to escalate the situation by publishing materials about how Moscow is allegedly preparing to invade Ukrainian territory.

On the eve of the CNN television channel published an article entitled "Russia continues to build up troops near the border with Ukraine, despite the fact that Biden calls on Putin to reduce tensions."

However, it notes that the Russian Federation continues to deny "that it is preparing an invasion."

In turn, the deputy editor-in-chief of the French newspaper Le Figaro, Philippe Gellier, believes that the Russian president allegedly demonstrates his readiness for a new conflict with Ukraine.

In his editorial, the journalist claims that Russian forces have allegedly been preparing for this for several weeks.

Russia has repeatedly noted that such reports do not correspond to reality.

In particular, Vladimir Putin said that questions about the plans of Russian aggression against Ukraine are provocative, and Moscow is pursuing a peaceful foreign policy.

“Russia is pursuing a peaceful foreign policy, but it has the right to ensure its security,” the Russian leader noted.

Political context

Recall that on December 15, Moscow handed over to Washington draft agreements with the United States and a security agreement with NATO.

The first document states, in particular, the obligations of the American side to exclude the further expansion of NATO to the east, to refuse to admit the states that were previously part of the USSR, and to create military bases on their territory, as well as to develop bilateral military cooperation with them.

The agreement with NATO deals with the obligations of the member states of the North Atlantic Alliance, which also exclude the continuation of the bloc's expansion, including the accession of Ukraine and other countries to the alliance.

"The participants, which are member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, refuse to conduct any military activity on the territory of Ukraine, as well as other states of Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia," the document says.

The next day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, admitted that the alliance continued its expansion process despite protests from the Russian side.

At the same time, according to him, the bloc proved that the "open door" policy is not only words, but also actions.

“New members were invited and accepted: North Macedonia and Montenegro.

Over the past two years, we have expanded the North Atlantic Alliance despite protests from Russia, ”Stoltenberg said.

Earlier, he said that the decision on whether Ukraine will join NATO will be made only by Kiev and 30 countries of the alliance.

He also stressed that the bloc supports the right of all countries to independently determine their future and foreign policy "without outside interference."

“Any further aggression against Ukraine will have serious consequences.

And it will be expensive, ”the text of Stoltenberg's speech published on the NATO website says.

"They try to interpret it in their own way"

As Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at the IMEMO RAS, said in a conversation with RT, the rhetoric of the West, including the statements of the United States and NATO about Russia's "aggressive" plans, is absolutely unfounded.

“Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is not going to attack anyone, but Western countries, and especially the United States, are trying to interpret any actions of the Russian Federation in their own way, attributing to them some kind of aggressiveness,” the expert noted.

In fact, actions demonstrating hostility come precisely from the United States and NATO, Olenchenko said.

“The Alliance and the United States at its head are set to confront Russia.

It is no coincidence that they are pulling their troops to the Russian borders, increasing the number of trainings near the Russian Federation, organizing provocations in the Black Sea.

Now we see how the US and NATO are trying to mask their aggressive behavior with accusations against Russia, ”the analyst emphasized.

For this reason, the Russian ambassador's response to attacks against Moscow is "logical and understandable," Olenchenko added.

“We are really talking about the purely anti-Russian propaganda of the United States and the North Atlantic Alliance, which in no way correlates with reality.

Washington needs this in order to maintain its presence in Europe and deploy more of its military in Eastern European countries, ”he said.

• NATO symbols

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• © Pascal Rossignol / File

In turn, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Research, Vladimir Bruter, said in a commentary to RT that the West, including the United States and NATO, pretends not to notice the red lines indicated by the Russian leadership.

“They believe that they can make decisions both for themselves and for Russia, which does not imply partnership relations.

NATO openly admits that the alliance continues to expand, while they do not rule out the entry of Ukraine into it, but at the same time insists on the absence of Russian troops on the Russian-Ukrainian border - this is an unfair game, "Bruter said.

The expert stressed that by sending documents on security to Washington, and then publishing them, Moscow has shown itself as a responsible member of the international community, who cares about international stability.

“This is the maximum openness of actions, which allows the West to see on paper that Russia has its own interests, and without the Russian Federation they will not ensure their security.

The United States and NATO should be sensitive to the fact that the Russian Federation indicates its concerns and wants security guarantees, "Bruter said.

However, so far Washington and the North Atlantic Alliance are demonstrating a diametrically opposite position, the expert said.

“Without presenting any evidence, accusations are being leveled on Moscow, they are talking about some kind of plan to attack Ukrainian territory.

This is how Washington and NATO are testing the waters.

Ukraine for them is only a consumable, they are in no hurry to give it any security guarantees, but they use it to put more pressure on the Russian Federation, ”the analyst concluded.