Kremlin: "Putin is ready to continue security guarantee negotiations"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, is ready to continue negotiations regarding the security guarantee issues that Russia has demanded from the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with CNN on the 15th (local time).

Spokesperson Peskov stated, "President Putin has always advocated for negotiations and diplomacy. In fact, he raised the issue of security guarantees for Russia," adding, "Ukraine is only a part of the larger issue of security guarantees for Russia." He emphasized, "President Putin is prepared to proceed with negotiations."

This explanation came amid repeated warnings from the West, led by the United States, that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is imminent, indicating that Russia has not yet abandoned the diplomatic negotiation card with the West.

President Putin, while receiving a report from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the preparation of Russia's response to the answers from the United States and NATO regarding Russia's security guarantee demands, also accepted Lavrov's proposal to continue negotiations.

During a meeting with Minister Lavrov that day, President Putin asked, "Do you think there is a possibility of reaching an agreement with our (Western) partners, or are the West trying to draw us into an endless negotiation process?"

In response, Minister Lavrov said, "The possibility (of negotiation) has not yet been exhausted," and added, "Negotiations cannot continue indefinitely, but at this stage, I would like to propose continuing and strengthening them." Putin then replied, "Alright."

Minister Lavrov also reported that a roughly 10-page response related to security guarantee demands to be sent to the United States and NATO has been prepared.

Accordingly, it is expected that Russia will soon deliver this response to the United States and NATO and attempt further negotiations.

Some question the possibility of Russia's invasion of Ukraine occurring immediately on the 16th or within this week, as the United States has predicted.

Many experts predict that Russia will attempt to enforce its self-raised security guarantee demands by simultaneously conducting high-intensity military demonstrations alongside negotiations with the West, including the United States, and that if such attempts ultimately fail, Russia will resort to the use of force as a last resort.

Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, refuted the United States' designation of the 16th as the date of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in an interview with Germany's Channel 4 TV, calling it "strange and inappropriate."

However, he pointed out that "there is a possibility that the United States and its allies might provoke by mobilizing Ukrainian regular forces or far-right nationalist militias in the eastern Donbas region, where the Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatist rebels are confronting each other."

On the other hand, the U.S. side has suggested that regarding the possibility of renewed fighting in Donbas, Russia might stage a false flag operation by deploying irregular forces in a special operation to make it appear that Ukraine attacked the separatist rebels first, using this as a pretext to invade the Donbas region.

Previously, on December 15 of last year, Russia delivered draft treaties on security guarantees between Russia and the United States and agreements on security measures between Russia and NATO member countries to the United States and NATO, respectively. In response, the United States and NATO sent written replies to Russia on January 26.

Russia's security guarantee proposals reportedly included demands that NATO stop expanding by accepting additional former Soviet states such as Ukraine as members and guarantees that no offensive weapons such as medium- and short-range missiles would be deployed in countries near Russia.

Russia later stated that its core demands were ignored in the responses received from the United States and NATO and expressed its intention to secure promises to halt NATO expansion through further negotiations.

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