Zakharova: The upcoming discussions with Washington will focus on not expanding NATO to the east

Moscow-Sana

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the upcoming discussions between Moscow and Washington on security guarantees will focus on the non-expansion of NATO to the east, despite the US side's statements about its refusal to discuss this issue.

Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement today, “Statements appeared in the United States and a number of Western countries in which it was stated that the upcoming discussions of the Russian proposal on establishing legal security guarantees will not address the issue of NATO’s non-expansion. Weapons that threaten our security on our borders are precisely the

two main and central issues in the upcoming talks with the United States and NATO.

"This matter must be clearly understood by those who have not yet grasped the essence of the Russian position," Zakharova added.

On the 17th of this December, Russia published draft agreements with the United States and NATO member states that include provisions on mutual security guarantees in Europe, including the non-deployment of medium and short-range missiles in the areas of access to the enemy's territory and the alliance's abandonment of its further expansion.

The administration of US President Joe Biden had previously expressed its willingness to hold discussions with Russia in January, but said that there were points it "does not intend to discuss."

The United States is leading a Western political and propaganda campaign accusing Russia of massing its forces on the border with Ukraine in order to justify NATO's eastward expansion and the deployment of nuclear missiles close to the Russian border.

On the other hand, Zakharova announced Russia's readiness to contribute to the resumption of negotiations in the format of five plus two on the Transnistria region in eastern Moldavia.

In a comment published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website today, Zakharova said that Moscow welcomes the readiness of Tiraspol, the capital of the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic, to start a serious search for the resumption of negotiations, with the participation of Moldova, Transnistria, Russia, Ukraine, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well as observers from the United States and the European Union.

She added that "Russia is confident that this initiative will stimulate the settlement process in Transnistria and get it out of its current stalemate," noting that "Moscow is ready to contribute to this as a mediator and a guarantor of the settlement process in Transnistria."

The region of Transnistria, of which Russians and Ukrainians constitute 60 percent of the population, demanded its exit from the Republic of Moldova before the dissolution of the former Soviet Union, and in 1992 the region came out of the control of the Moldavian authorities after the failure of the latter's attempt to solve the problem by force of arms.

The military confrontations between the two sides, which were halted after Russia deployed its peacekeeping forces in the region, claimed the lives of 804 people, according to official statistics.