Russia’s response to a letter from Washington last week comes as the Biden administration continues to press Moscow to defuse a growing crisis on the Ukrainian border, where 100,000 Russian troops are stationed.
All US government officials have confirmed the response anonymously, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
A foreign ministry official declined to comment, saying “it is unwise to discuss in public and that Russia should release the content.”
“We are fully committed to the dialogue to resolve these issues and will continue to consult with our allies and partners, including Ukraine,” the government source quoted by AFP as saying.
The new letters were exchanged ahead of a telephone conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart Anthony Blinken.
The United States sent its own letter to Russia last week in response to proposals made by Moscow in December on its security needs.
Russia has accused the West of amassing 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, aimed at a military offensive against that country.
Russia denies any intent to invade its neighbor, but Ukraine is asking for written assurances about its security, including its refusal to join NATO and the end of the Atlantic Alliance’s military strengthening in Eastern Europe.
The United States and NATO rejected these Russian demands last week, but Washington has opened talks on other topics, such as the “follow-up agreement” to implement the new START nuclear weapons control agreement.
US President Joe Biden today expressed interest in continuing talks with Russia on the Ukraine crisis, but warned that Moscow would abandon its diplomacy and face “immediate and serious consequences” from the attack on Ukraine.
In a statement issued today in conjunction with the opening of a meeting of the United Nations (UN) Security Council on the Ukrainian crisis, Joe Biden argued that “the United States has detailed the full extent of the threat to Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” United Nations “. Ukraine”.
He said Washington had made clear the implications of the threat “not only to Ukraine but also to the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and modern international order.”
Russia and the United States clashed today at the Security Council over Russian troops concentrated on the Ukrainian border, while Western nations are intensifying diplomatic efforts to prevent a military confrontation from erupting.
Shortly before the start, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebensia, accused Washington of trying to “create hysteria” and “fool the international community” by convening the first Security Council meeting on the crisis in Russia. .
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield has accused Russia of sending “more than 30,000 troops in early February” to Belarus, near Ukraine.
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