Russia “does not intend” to attack Ukraine, assured Monday, after talks with the United States, the Russian negotiator, who also noted the “seriousness” of the Americans with regard to Russian demands to guarantee its security in the face of NATO.
“We explained to colleagues that we have no plans, no intention to attack – in quotation marks – Ukraine,” said Sergei Riabkov, Deputy Foreign Minister, assuring that he did not There was no reason “to fear an escalation of the situation in this regard”.
On the basis of the negotiations with his American counterpart, Wendy Sherman, he praised the seriousness with which the American side had taken Russia’s demands for its security, in the first place legal guarantees never to expand NATO again, particularly to ex-Soviet and pro-Western countries, Ukraine and Georgia in the lead.
“We have the impression that the American side has taken the Russian proposals very seriously,” he said, after “difficult, long, professional” talks.
According to him, “the situation is not hopeless” therefore, while for weeks the Russo-Western tensions have continued to worsen, in particular due to the deployment of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers on the borders of the United States. ‘Ukraine.
But, he judged, “one should not underestimate the risks linked to a worsening of the evolution of the confrontation”.
“We call on the United States to show maximum responsibility,” Riabkov warned.
“We need a breakthrough, a real gesture in the direction of Russia must be made and that must come from NATO”, he insisted, assuring that “never ever” Ukraine must join the Atlantic Alliance.
For him, the concessions to Russia must be made “quickly”, Mr. Riabkov insisting that the negotiation process should not take “months and years”.