Lavrov: No ‘positive response’ from US
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The Russian Foreign Minister comments on Washington's response to the security guarantees, saying that "there is no positive response to the main issue in this document."
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No ‘positive response’ from the US, says Lavrov
According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia did not receive a "positive response" from the US or NATO on its main security demand concerning Ukraine, but there may still be room for further discussion on other issues.
Moscow is seeking broad guarantees to limit NATO's expansion in eastern Europe, including a commitment from Ukraine never to join the Western military alliance.
However, in written responses sent to Moscow on Wednesday evening, the US and NATO rejected Russia's demand to bar Ukraine from joining NATO, reiterating their commitment to NATO's open-door membership policy.
“There was no positive response to the main question” of Russia’s demands, Lavrov said in a statement, adding that "there is a response which gives hope for the start of a serious conversation on secondary questions."
Lavrov vows to disclose the US response
Separate press conferences on Wednesday were held by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who both stated that they had outlined diplomatic pathways out of the current crisis, as well as several areas for increased cooperation.
While Blinken and Stoltenberg stated they do not intend to make their responses public, Lavrov stated that they will be published "soon".
Peskov: the president has all the papers
“One can’t say that our ideas and concerns were taken into account,” Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in a call with journalists on Thursday.
Peskov said the documents are now in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“All these papers are with the president,” he said. "Let's not rush to conclusions, it takes time to analyze.”
