US: Some key Russian proposals on European security unacceptable

BRUSSELS (TASS): A number of Moscow’s key proposals on security guarantees in Europe are unacceptable. This was stated on Wednesday by US First Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman at a press conference following the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) that ended in Brussels.
“As NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier, it was a very serious and direct conversation. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister [Alexander] Grushko and [Russian] Deputy Defense Minister Alexander] Fomin talked a lot and shared Russian proposals and views on European security and the future of NATO. The United States and ours NATO allies were united in our responses <…>, including when it comes to some key Russian proposals, which are simply not passable, “she said.
According to Sherman, at the meeting, the alliance countries made it clear that they would not abandon the open door policy when it comes to admitting new members to NATO. “This principle has always been central to NATO as a defensive, purely defensive alliance. NATO exists to protect the countries that join it. NATO has never expanded through force, coercion or subversion. The decision to come to NATO and declare its desire to join. it is the sovereign choice of countries, “the deputy secretary of state argued.
According to Sherman, the countries – members of the North Atlantic Alliance at a meeting of the NRC on Wednesday said that each country can choose its own alliances and spoke completely from a unified position.
“NATO allies have come out in full unity in support of a number of essential international principles, according to which all countries should be able to choose their own foreign policy orientation, that sovereignty and territorial integrity are sacred and must be respected, and that all countries can and should be free to choose their own. unions, “she said, adding that the meeting lasted almost four hours. According to her, the meeting “became a truly outstanding manifestation of the power of diplomacy.”
Country selection
NATO countries said each country can choose which alliance to join, Sherman said. According to her, the NATO countries demanded that the Russian Federation move to de-escalation and work in the diplomatic direction. Sherman said the meeting “ended with a sober challenge from NATO allies to Russia, which has arrived here today to express its security concerns,” Sherman said.
“This challenge is to respond to the proposals of the NATO Secretary General, Poland, the OSCE chairmanship, France, the EU Presidency, as well as the US President, by reducing tensions, choosing the path of diplomacy, continuing to conduct dialogue on a conscientious and reciprocal basis so that we can together to find solutions that contribute to the strengthening of security for all, “- explained the US Deputy Secretary of State.
The essence of the NATO countries’ demands, according to the US Deputy Secretary of State, is to “reduce tensions, choose the path of diplomacy, and continue dialogue on a conscientious and reciprocal basis.” Washington and its allies believe Russia will have to choose between de-escalation and confrontation, Sherman said.
“We remain ready to engage with Russia. The high pace of bilateral and multilateral engagement this week has demonstrated that the United States, our allies and partners are not wasting time. Russia will have to make a tough choice: de-escalation and diplomacy or confrontation and consequences,” she said she. According to Sherman, the US expects Russian officials to “report [the consultations] to President [Vladimir] Putin at a later date.” According to the deputy secretary of state, Washington and its allies hope that the Russian side will “choose peace and security.”
Russia has not pledged to de-escalate, but has not announced that it will not, Sherman said. She expressed hope that the Russian leadership “will follow the path of diplomacy.”
NATO invited the Russian Federation to study the possibility of mutual steps to reduce risks, transparency, improve communications and arms control. According to the US spokesman, NATO countries have voiced their positions on where NATO and Russia “can jointly make progress.” “This includes reciprocal steps to reduce risks, [ensure] transparency, improve communication and arms control,” Sherman said.
As the first deputy secretary of state noted, the United States and its NATO allies consider diplomacy “the most reliable way to build security for the long term.” NATO countries, according to Sherman, are ready “to cooperate with Russia on security issues.”
NATO member countries believe there is room for progress in working with Russia in a number of areas, Sherman said.
“The United States and our NATO allies reaffirmed our shared commitment to diplomacy as the most reliable path to lasting security and our willingness to engage with Russia on security issues in a constructive and reciprocal process. which NATO and Russia could work together to make progress, enhancing security for all of us and for the world. These include reciprocal actions to reduce risks and transparency, increase the effectiveness of interaction and control arms, “- said Sherman.
She recalled that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg suggested that the Russian side hold a number of further meetings within the RNC. “Stoltenberg opened today’s meeting, expressing the hope that the NRC will be able to meet again soon for a deeper discussion of areas in which we can make progress together to enhance security for all. This position is shared by all NATO allies,” added the undersecretary of state.
NATO countries at a meeting in Brussels again warned Russia about tough measures in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, Sherman said. “Today, we again directly told Russia that further Russian invasion of Ukraine would lead to significant costs and consequences [for Moscow], which [in scale] go far beyond what they [the Russian authorities]) faced in 2014.” , – she said.
According to Sherman, we are talking about “coordinated [with US allies] economic measures” that will affect the Russian economy and financial system if Moscow “takes this fateful step” and undertakes aggression against Ukraine. “The actions of the Russian Federation caused this crisis, and it is Russia that should reduce tensions and give diplomacy a chance for success. <…> We are still ready to continue [diplomatic] interaction with Russia,” she argued.
Military exercises conducted by Russia near the border with Ukraine do not contribute to a diplomatic solution to the current situation, Sherman said.
“They [Russia] are a powerful country. The fact that they feel threatened by Ukraine – a smaller and still developing democracy – is hard to understand, frankly. Why do they need 100,000 troops on the border [with Ukraine] who, they [Russia] say are not for invasion, but for exercise. There were reports of live-fire exercises this morning. What is this? Is this an invasion? Is this intimidation? Is this an attempt to subvert? I am not I know, but that doesn’t help achieve a diplomatic solution, Sherman argued. So Russia has a choice to make. “
She added that she “today clearly and clearly” heard about Moscow’s concerns about its security. “But Russia is a large country with a huge territory. They are a permanent member of the [UN] Security Council. They have the largest [in size] non-nuclear weapons in Europe. Together with the United States, we are the two largest nuclear powers on Earth,” the undersecretary of state said …
Sherman expressed the hope that Russia “will agree that diplomacy is the right way” in the situation around Ukraine. She argued that the Russian side “had neither an obligation to de-escalate, nor a statement that it would not be.”
The US will not agree to a ban on NATO expansion and a return to the 1997 situation, Sherman said.
Sherman reiterated that some of the Russian proposals on security guarantees in Europe are unacceptable. “We will not agree that NATO cannot continue enlargement. We will not agree to return to the 1997 situation,” she said.
At the same time, the first deputy secretary of state stressed that Russia and the NATO countries have opportunities for cooperation, in particular, “in the field of ensuring transparency, deconflicting, establishing communications, and arms control.” According to Sherman, at the NRC meeting, the United States, for its part, presented a number of considerations regarding European security. “They are not proposals, we have not started discussing them,” she explained.
Sherman spoke on Wednesday with the assertion that the alleged Russian actions led to official discussions in Finland and Sweden about joining NATO.
The American diplomat did not specify what steps from Moscow, in her opinion, contributed to such discussions.
“As for Finland and Sweden. I will not speak for them about whether their ambitions towards NATO differ from those that were earlier,” Sherman reasoned. several days”.
“I think Russia has done one thing that you might not have expected – has brought together all of Europe, NATO and non-NATO allies [aimed at] to share a common set of principles, the same aspiration, the same hopes and commitment to diplomacy, “the first undersecretary of state voiced the version of the Washington administration.