Russia says ‘little optimism’ after US rejects concession in Ukraine standoff
Title : Russia says ‘little optimism’ after US rejects concession in Ukraine standoff
Link : Russia says ‘little optimism’ after US rejects concession in Ukraine standoff
MOSCOW (AP) — The US rejection of Russia’s main demands to resolve the crisis over Ukraine leaves “little ground for optimism,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says.
At the same time, he adds that “there always are prospects for continuing a dialogue, it’s in the interests of both us and the Americans.”
Russia denies having any designs on invading Ukraine and has laid out a series of demands it says will improve security in Europe, but the US and the Western alliance firmly rejected any concessions on Moscow’s main points Wednesday, refusing to permanently ban Ukraine from joining NATO and saying allied deployments of troops and military equipment in Eastern Europe are nonnegotiable. The US did outline areas in which some of Russia’s concerns might be addressed, possibly offering a path to de-escalation.
“There is no change, there will be no change,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, repeating the warning that any Russian incursion into Ukraine would be met with massive consequences and severe economic costs.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov notes that the US response contains some elements that could lead to “the start of a serious talk on secondary issues” but emphasizes that “the document contains no positive response on the main issue,” the Russian demands for the non-expansion of NATO and the non-deployment of weapons that may threaten Russia.
Lavrov tells reporters that top officials will now submit their proposals to Putin, who has the American response, and Peskov said the Russian reaction would come soon.
The evasive official comments reflect the fact that it’s Putin who single-handedly determines Russia’s next moves. The Russian leader has warned that he would order unspecified “military-technical measures” if the West refuses to heed the Russian security demands.
Russia says ‘little optimism’ after US rejects concession in Ukraine standoff
Russia says ‘little optimism’ after US rejects concession in Ukraine standoff
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