On Friday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry published a list of security demands made to the United States (US) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) regarding Western military activity and NATO expansion towards Russia, marking an effort to de-escalate the conflict with Ukraine.
In the security proposal to the US, Moscow asked Washington to halt NATO’s eastward expansion and for the organisation to reject the membership bid of the former Soviet state. Russia also asked the US not to establish military bases or use the military infrastructure of former Soviet states that are not NATO members. Furthermore, Russia urged the US to “maintain dialogue” regarding military activity and called for a halt to the deployment of nuclear weapons and missiles, and to warship and aircraft movement by both countries.
In a separate proposal to NATO, Russia made similar demands regarding eastern expansion and Ukraine’s NATO membership status, both of which the Western alliance and the US have rejected in the past. Russia also agreed to establish an emergency telephone hotline between Moscow and Brussels, opening a communication channel after all diplomatic ties between NATO and Russia were suspended in October.
Talking about Russia’s security proposal on Friday, White House National Security Adviser (NSA) Jake Sullivan said Washington is “going to put on the table our concerns.” Similarly, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that Washington had gone over Moscow’s proposal and would take further steps after consultations with its European allies.
At a joint news conference with Russian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed receiving the security proposal and said that inputs from Ukraine would be vital to advance any dialogue with Russia. Stoltenberg affirmed that NATO and its allies “are prepared to work on strengthening confidence-building measures” to reduce tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
On Saturday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia’s ties with the US have not hit their “lowest point” and acknowledged that the two countries had progressed in some areas. “We do not want a conflict, and we want to agree on a reasonable basis,” Ryabkov said while talking about the security proposals sent to the US and NATO. “The situation can be stabilized and improved with the help of such agreements. Without them, the situation will remain extremely difficult and tense,” he added.
However, Ryabkov warned, “They fail to consider that we will take care of our security and act in a way similar to NATO’s logic and also will start extending the limits of what is possible sooner or later,” referring to the exchange of threats between top American and Russian officials over the past few weeks. “We will find all the necessary ways, means and solutions needed to ensure our security,” he noted.
Last week, Ryabkov issued a stern warning against NATO’s eastern expansion, saying Russia will retaliate using the military.
Earlier this month, US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin conducted a two-hour videoconference to address tensions over the presence of 175,000 Russian troops at the Ukrainian border and the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. As things stand, the US and its European allies remain resolute in their stance that they are ready to impose severe economic and other military sanctions against Russia if it invades Ukraine.