Putin: We will consider our response if the West does not meet our demands
Russia's president has urged the United States and European countries to respond quickly to Moscow's conditions, including a NATO commitment not to annex Ukraine and other former Soviet republics.
According to him, the reaction
IP
26/12/2021
Sunday, 26 December 2021, 17:23 Updated: 17:25
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Russian President Vladimir Putin at the annual press conference to mark the end of the year, December 23, 2021 (Photo: Reuters)
Russian President Vladimir Putin said today (Sunday) that he would consider a range of options if the West did not meet its demands for security guarantees that would prevent NATO from spreading to Ukraine. Ukraine and other Soviet republics, and in addition it will reduce the deployment of its forces in Eastern and Central Europe.
Putin urged the West to respond quickly to his demands, warning that Moscow would be required to take "appropriate military-technical measures" if the West continued on the "aggressive" path on the "doorstep of our home." Asked explicitly what Moscow's response would be, Putin said in remarks broadcast today by Russian official television that "it will be diverse." He added, without elaborating, that the response "would depend on the proposals submitted to me by our military experts."
The United States and its allies report on Russia's demands regarding Ukraine, citing one of the foundations of the United States, that membership in it is open to any country that wants it and meets the conditions. However, they agreed to hold security talks with Russia next month to discuss its concerns, in an attempt to prevent a possible invasion of Russia by its neighbor. Moscow denies that it has such an intention, despite the concentration of tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine.
Putin said talks with US officials would be held in Geneva. At the same time, Russia and NATO will hold wider talks under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In his remarks, the Russian president expressed hope for a positive response from the West regarding Moscow's demands.
"We did this not just to get them rejected, but to reach an agreed diplomatic outcome that would be enshrined in legally binding documents," Putin added. He reiterated that Ukraine's membership in NATO or the placement of Allied weapons in its territory is a "red line" for Moscow - which it will not allow the West to cross.
"We have nowhere to retreat," Putin warned. Missiles in Ukraine that could hit Moscow in four or five minutes. "They pushed us to a line we can't cross. They took it to a point where we just have to tell them: Stop!"
He expressed concern that the United States and its allies might try and pull off the security talks and use them as a cover for the continued concentration of military forces near Russia. He noted that Russia has released its security demands so that the public can recognize them and increase pressure on allies and allies to reach a security agreement.
"We have only one goal - to reach agreements that will ensure the security of Russia and its citizens now and in the long run," Putin said.
Earlier this month, Putin held a virtual summit with US President Joe Biden, in which the latter warned him of "serious consequences" if he attacked Ukraine.
Moscow, for its part, accuses Kiev of formulating a plan to forcibly take over the pro-Russian separatist territories in the east of the country.
Ukraine denies this and President Vladimir Zalansky has expressed readiness to hold direct talks with Putin, but the Kremlin refuses.
Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and then began to support the separatist uprising in the east of the country.
Over more than seven years, more than 14,000 people have been killed in the conflict that destroyed the industrial center of Ukraine, an area known as the Donbass.
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