Lavrov slams NATO for attempting to "artificially drag new members"

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov blamed NATO for attempting to artificially drag new members, including Ukraine, stressing that Russia is ready for any scenario.

Lavrov warned that “NATO is trying to dictate its will to everyone," adding that “We know and are able to safeguard our security in any case, and I can assure you that we are not going to endlessly wait for some changes and promises."

"If our proposals are rejected, if this happens, we will, of course, assess the situation and report to the president... We will make decisions taking into account all factors, primarily in the interests of reliable ensuring our security," the top Russian diplomat stressed.

He went on to say that "Russia does not understand yet how the European Union sees its possible participation in negotiations on security guarantees.”

A new round of confrontation? 

On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko considered that "the cornerstone of the NATO policy and military development is the task of deterring Russia."

The Russian Deputy FM expressed that Moscow is seriously concerned that the scenarios of various exercises incorporate the nuclear component.

The security guarantees that Russia has requested from NATO will benefit both Moscow and NATO member states in Europe, Grushko said, noting that NATO is not taking into account the security interests of others.

He said that Russia and NATO had no "positive agenda -- none at all" and warned that the continued deterioration of the situation could lead to the "most unpredictable and most dire consequences for European security."

Meanwhile, the Russian-US meetings failed as Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said there was a "dead-end or difference of approaches", seeing no reason to sit down again in the coming days to re-start the same discussions.

Russia has constantly denied news reports in the US media about a possible attack on Ukraine, accusing Washington of trying to escalate the situation and casting the blame on Moscow.