Putin: Dialogue with the US and NATO on security guarantees is not over

The dialogue with the United States and NATO on security guarantees for Russia is not over, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference following talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

According to him, in the US response “there is no position” on all key issues, such as the non-proliferation of NATO, the non-deployment of strike systems near the borders of the Russian Federation, the return of NATO infrastructure by 1997. “They were simply bypassed,” the Russian leader stressed, adding that he had informed Macron of the essence of the response that Russia would send to the US and NATO.

In addition, Putin called the assertion that Russia is behaving aggressively “contrary to common sense.” According to him, it is the NATO infrastructure that has approached the borders of the Russian Federation, and not vice versa. The Russian president recalled that Moscow is “categorically against the expansion of NATO through new members in the east,” as it poses a “common threat.” According to him, Russia “cannot close its eyes to the fact that the alliance considers it its adversary.” He referred to NATO operations in various countries, including Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan, and said that Russia was not reassured by “reasoning that NATO is a peaceful, purely defensive organization.”

At present, Putin noted, NATO members “are pumping up Ukraine with modern types of weapons, allocating significant financial resources for the modernization of the Ukrainian army, and sending military specialists and instructors.” According to him, the admission of Ukraine to NATO will turn into a threat of war between the North Atlantic Alliance and Russia, which will not allow attempts by Kiev to regain Crimea by military means. The Russian leader acknowledged that the potential of NATO and Russia is “incomparable”, but recalled that Russia is “one of the leading nuclear powers.”