Russia envoy: Moscow may up the ante if West ignores demands

MOSCOW – Russia whitethorn instrumentality unspecified caller measures to guarantee its information if the U.S. and its allies proceed to instrumentality provocative enactment and disregard Moscow's request for guarantees precluding NATO's enlargement to Ukraine, a elder diplomat said Saturday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused Western allies of continuously pushing the envelope successful relations with Russia, and warned that Moscow could besides up the ante if the West doesn't dainty its demands seriously.

Ryabkov's connection successful an interrogation with the Interfax quality bureau came a time aft Moscow submitted draught information documents demanding that NATO contradict rank to Ukraine and different erstwhile Soviet countries and rotation backmost the alliance’s subject deployments successful Central and Eastern Europe — bold ultimatums that are astir definite to beryllium rejected by the U.S. and its allies.

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The work of the demands — contained successful a projected Russia-U.S. information pact and a information statement betwixt Moscow and NATO — comes amid soaring tensions implicit a Russian unit buildup adjacent Ukraine that has raised fears of an invasion. Russia has denied it has plans to onslaught its neighbour but wants ineligible guarantees that would regularisation retired NATO enlargement and deploying weapons there.

Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the request for information guarantees successful past week’s video telephone with U.S. President Joe Biden. During the conversation, Biden voiced interest astir a buildup of Russian troops adjacent Ukraine and warned him that Russia would look “severe consequences” if Moscow attacked its neighbor.

“They person been extending the limits of what's possible” regarding Russia, Ryabkov told Interfax successful effect to a question astir the Western menace of pugnacious caller sanctions against Moscow.

“But they neglect to see that we volition instrumentality attraction of our information and enactment successful a mode akin to NATO's logic and besides volition commencement extending the limits of what is imaginable sooner oregon late,” Ryabkov said. “We volition find each the indispensable ways, means and solutions needed to guarantee our security.”

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He didn't elaborate connected what enactment Russia whitethorn instrumentality if its demands are rejected by the West.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized Friday that immoderate information talks with Moscow would request to instrumentality into relationship the trans-Atlantic alliance's concerns and impact Ukraine and different partners. The White House likewise said it’s discussing the proposals with U.S. allies and partners, but noted that each countries person the close to find their aboriginal without extracurricular interference.

Ryabkov said that NATO’s moves person go progressively provocative, describing them arsenic “balancing connected the borderline of war.” He added that Russia present wants to perceive a Western effect earlier upping the ante.

“We don't privation a conflict. We privation to scope an statement connected a tenable basis,” helium said. “Before making immoderate conclusions what to bash adjacent and what steps could beryllium taken, we request to marque definite that the reply is negative. I anticipation that the reply volition beryllium comparatively constructive and we prosecute successful talks.”

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He said that the deployment of NATO's troops adjacent Russia successful the Baltic and Black Sea regions person challenged Russia's halfway information interests, adding that “no 1 should underestimate Moscow's resoluteness successful protecting its nationalist information interests.”

Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula successful 2014 and soon aft formed its enactment down a separatist rebellion successful the country’s east. More than 7 years of warring has killed implicit 14,000 radical and devastated Ukraine’s concern heartland, known arsenic the Donbas.

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