(Moscow) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called for “concrete agreements” preventing NATO’s expansion to the east and the deployment of its weapons systems near Russian borders, proposing to launch “negotiations of background ”on this topic.
The announcement comes as tensions between Russia and the West have continued to rise in recent weeks amid Western concerns about a possible Russian invasion in Ukraine.
“In dialogue with the United States and its allies, we will insist on the development of concrete agreements preventing any expansion of NATO to the east and the deployment of weapons systems that threaten us in close proximity. Russian territory, ”Putin said.
“We propose to start substantive negotiations on this subject,” he added, during a ceremony for the presentation of letters of credence to foreign ambassadors in the Kremlin.
“We need legal guarantees, since our Western colleagues have not respected their appropriate oral obligations”, underlined the Russian president.
According to him, “everyone knows that oral assurances were made on the non-enlargement of NATO to the east (after the fall of the USSR, Editor’s note), they did just the opposite”.
Mr Putin accused the Atlantic Alliance of “thus ignoring legitimate Russian security concerns and continuing to ignore them”.
Russia wants “solid and long-term security guarantees”, he insisted, while specifying that these agreements must “take into account the interests of Russia as of all the Euro-Atlantic countries”.
“A calm and stable situation must be ensured for everyone and everyone without exception needs it”, added Mr. Putin.
Russia is accused by Kiev, NATO, Washington, Paris and Berlin of massing troops near the border with Ukraine in preparation for a possible invasion, accusations strongly rejected by the Kremlin.
Moscow, for its part, criticizes the West and NATO for carrying out military exercises near its borders and Kiev for wanting to acquire Western armaments.
Russia and Ukraine have been at daggers drawn since pro-Western power came to power in Kiev in 2014, followed by the annexation of Crimea and a conflict in the east between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists.