Russia assures the US that it does not intend to “attack” Ukraine

Russia assured the United States, during the first round of security negotiations in Geneva (Switzerland), that it has no intention of attacking Ukraine, while considering that it would be a “big mistake” if the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ) refuses to grant security guarantees to Moscow.

“We have no plans, no intention to attack Ukraine, and there cannot be,” said Sergei Riabkov, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and chief negotiator, at a press conference at his country’s permanent mission to the UN broadcast live by the public television.

Riabkov stressed that he also insisted to his American colleague, the United States Undersecretary of State, Wendy Sherman, that there is no reason to fear a possible escalation in relation to Ukraine, who denounced together with Washington plans for a Russian invasion for early 2022 .

“All operations for the military preparation of the troops are carried out on the margins of our territory, so there is no reason to fear an escalation scenario,” he said.

At the same time, he insisted that Russia needs guarantees “written in stone” that Ukraine and Georgia will never become members of NATO.

Regarding the possibility of this expansion taking place during the allied summit next June in Madrid, he admitted that there was no progress in today’s negotiations.

Riabkov acknowledged that the negotiations were “complicated, but very professional, deep and concrete”, with no attempt to avoid “tough issues”.

“We have the impression that the US side has taken our initiatives very seriously,” he said.

The diplomat argued this Monday in Geneva that security guarantees on the non-expansion of NATO are an “absolute imperative” for Russia, as is the case with the deployment of offensive weapons that dawns on Russian territory.

Furthermore, the Atlantic Alliance must renounce the “assimilation” of the territory of the countries that joined the bloc since 1997, that is, Eastern Europe and the three Baltic republics.

“If there is no progress in these three key directions, the work in other aspects, even if they are important, will be on the wing,” he said.

Riabkov admitted that Russian diplomacy consists of seeking “compromises” and a “balance of interests”, but stressed with respect to those three issues that Russia cannot “make concessions.”

He called the United States to “the maximum responsibility”, since “the risks related to a possible worsening of the confrontation cannot be underestimated.”

Regarding a possible second round of negotiations with the United States, the Russian deputy minister assured that Moscow will make a decision after consultations with NATO on January 12 in Brussels and the meeting that will be held the next day in Vienna within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

“However, this should not be prolonged. It cannot be transformed into a process that takes months or years, “he said.

Last December, Russian President Vladimir Putin “immediately” demanded security guarantees from the United States and NATO.