Russian Foreign Minister: "If the US and NATO do not respond to the security guarantee proposal, necessary measures will be taken"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 31st (local time), Russia warned that if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the United States do not respond to its security guarantee proposals, it will take necessary measures to eliminate threats to its national security.

Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, stated in an interview with Russia's RIA Novosti news agency that day, "If a constructive response is not received within a reasonable time and the West continues its aggressive stance, Russia will inevitably take all necessary measures to secure strategic balance and eliminate unacceptable threats to our security."

He emphasized, "The (Russian) Foreign Ministry will not allow Russia's proposals to be drawn into endless debates and confusion."

Minister Lavrov made it clear that Russia aims to establish a new security agreement system with the West and legally document it. He also claimed that based on this, a new bilateral agreement related to arms control could be concluded.

In response to Western countries' accusations that Russia is deploying large-scale troops near the Ukraine border in preparation for an invasion, Russia has demanded the adoption of legal documents specifying the prohibition of NATO's further eastward expansion and the deployment of offensive weapons near its borders.

On the 15th, Russia reportedly delivered two documents to the United States: a Russia-US security guarantee treaty draft and an agreement draft on security guarantee measures between Russia and NATO member countries.

Russia and the United States are scheduled to hold the first working-level talks on Russia's proposed security guarantees in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 10th of next month.

Subsequently, Russia-NATO talks will be held on the 12th in Brussels, Belgium, and Russia-European Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) talks on the 13th in Vienna, Austria.

President Putin and President Biden had a phone call the day before the security guarantee working talks to explain their respective principled positions on key agenda items in advance.

During the call, President Biden expressed strong concerns about Russia's troop buildup near the Ukraine border and demanded immediate withdrawal of forces to ease tensions. President Putin dismissed the possibility of an invasion of Ukraine and countered by demanding acceptance of prohibitions on NATO's eastward expansion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.