The Russian Foreign Ministry handed over to the American side a written reaction to the US response on security guarantees.
This is stated on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the American side did not give a constructive response to the basic elements of the security guarantee agreement prepared by the Russian side.
Among the key points that remained without a proper response from the United States and NATO, Russian diplomats mentioned the refusal to further expand the alliance, the withdrawal of the "Bucharest formula" on the upcoming entry into the alliance of Ukraine and Georgia, as well as the refusal to create military bases on the territory of states that were previously members of the alliance. the USSR and non-NATO members and the return of military capabilities, including shock, and the infrastructure of the alliance to the state of 1997.
As emphasized in the Foreign Ministry, these provisions are of fundamental importance for Russia.
Diplomats also noted that the United States and NATO had a selective approach to the content of the documents sent by Moscow.
“The package nature of Russian proposals was ignored, from which “convenient” topics were deliberately chosen, which, in turn, were “twisted” in the direction of creating advantages for the United States and its allies.
This approach, as well as the accompanying rhetoric of American officials, reinforces reasonable doubts that Washington is really committed to correcting the situation in the field of European security, ”the Foreign Ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry also spoke about Moscow's concern about NATO's military activity near the Russian borders.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry noted, Russia's sovereign right to protect its own security interests is being ignored.
Incoming demands to withdraw troops from certain areas on Russian territory, which are accompanied by threats of further sanctions, undermine the likelihood of reaching agreements, the Foreign Ministry noted.
“In the absence of the readiness of the American side to agree on firm, legally binding guarantees to ensure our security from the United States and its allies, Russia will be forced to respond, including through the implementation of military-technical measures,” the diplomats said.
Recall that on December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft treaties with the United States and agreements with NATO on security guarantees, which were handed over to Western colleagues.
In January, a series of negotiations with the United States and NATO on these issues took place, but the parties failed to reach specific agreements.
The United States gave Russia a written response to the security guarantee proposals on January 26.
On February 17, the State Department confirmed receipt of a response from the Russian side to the document sent earlier.
"Invasion" of Ukraine
The Foreign Ministry stated that Russia has no plans to “invade” Ukraine.
“Allegations of ‘Russia’s responsibility for the escalation’ cannot be interpreted otherwise than as an attempt to put pressure on and devalue Russia’s proposals for security guarantees,” the ministry explained.
The diplomats stressed that what is happening in Ukraine is the result of internal factors, as a result of which the mention of Russian obligations under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum has nothing to do with the conflict, which is internal to Ukraine.
Also on russian.rt.com Putin: in matters of security, we will act according to plan, based on the real situation
Russia's accusations of "occupation" of Crimea do not stand up to scrutiny, the Foreign Ministry noted.
Diplomats recalled that in 2014 a coup d'etat took place in Ukraine, the initiators of which headed for the creation of a nationalist state that infringes on the rights of the Russian-speaking population and other ethnic groups.
“It is not surprising that in such a situation, the Crimeans voted for reunification with Russia.
The decision of the people of Crimea and Sevastopol to return to the Russian Federation was made by free will in the exercise of the right to self-determination enshrined in the UN Charter.
No force or threat of force was used.
The issue of Crimea's belonging is closed," the Foreign Ministry concluded.
At the same time, the department recalled that if Ukraine joins NATO, it is likely that Kiev will try to return Crimea by force.
Speaking about the events in Donbass, the Foreign Ministry noted that we are talking about an internal Ukrainian conflict, the settlement of which is possible only through the implementation of the Minsk agreements and a set of measures, confirmed by a UN Security Council resolution.
“None of these documents mentions Russia's responsibility for the conflict in Donbass.
Russia, together with the OSCE, plays the role of a mediator in the main negotiating format - the Contact Group - and together with Berlin and Paris - in the Normandy format, which formulates recommendations to the parties to the conflict and monitors their implementation," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
In order to de-escalate the situation around Ukraine, it is necessary to force Kiev to fulfill its obligations, as well as stop the supply of weapons to Ukraine, recall all Western advisers and instructors from the country, abandon any joint exercises of NATO countries with the Ukrainian military, and also withdraw all previously delivered to Kiev abroad weapons.
The Foreign Ministry drew attention to the position of the United States, according to which Russia should withdraw its troops from the border with Ukraine.
“We proceed from the fact that the deployment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on its territory does not and cannot affect the fundamental interests of the United States.
We would like to remind you that there are no our forces on the territory of Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
The indivisibility of security and the policy of "open doors"
The Foreign Ministry stated that in the US responses on security guarantees there was no evidence that the American side was fully committed to observing the immutable principle of the indivisibility of security.
“General statements about the consideration by the American side of this postulate are in direct conflict with Washington’s unwillingness to abandon the counterproductive and destabilizing course of creating advantages for itself and its allies at the expense of Russia’s security interests,” the department said.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry recalled, this is exactly what is happening against the backdrop of "the implementation by the North Atlantic Alliance, with the US leading role, of a policy of unlimited geostrategic and military development of the post-Soviet space."
“All this is happening directly on Russian borders.
Thus, our "red lines" and fundamental security interests are ignored, and Russia's inalienable right to provide them is denied.
For us, this, of course, is unacceptable,” the Foreign Ministry concluded.
At the same time, NATO's US-backed "open door" policy runs counter to the commitment "not to strengthen one's security at the expense of the security of others," the diplomats stressed.
As recalled in the Foreign Ministry, this policy is not consistent with the guidelines of the alliance, which in 1991 undertook "not to take unilateral advantages from the changed situation in Europe", "not to threaten the legitimate interests" of other states, not to strive for their "isolation" or "holding new dividing lines on the continent.
In this regard, the Foreign Ministry called on the United States and NATO to return to fulfilling international obligations in the field of maintaining peace and security.
“We expect specific proposals from the members of the alliance on the content and forms of legal consolidation of the refusal to further expand NATO to the East,” the Foreign Ministry concluded.
Along with this, the diplomats called on the United States and its allies to abandon the policy of "containment" of Russia and take concrete practical measures to de-escalate the military-political situation.