Russia submits draft of security proposals with US

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Russia's security proposals have been submitted to negotiate security arrangements with the US and its NATO allies amid Ukraine tensions, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Friday.

In an interview with Al Mayadeen, Ryabkov stressed that Russia prefers to be optimistic about the draft, hoping the other side would accept the search for solutions. He added that the US has set conditions related to Ukraine to reduce the escalation, but they are unacceptable.

The Russian foreign ministry revealed that it proposed a draft on December 15 regarding bilateral proposals and security agreement measures.

The proposals would obligate Washington and its allies to suspend NATO's eastward expansion to include other ex-Soviet countries and to renege on a 2008 pledge to admit Ukraine and Georgia.

They would also prohibit the United States and its allies from establishing military facilities on the territory of Ukraine, Georgia, and other ex-Soviet republics that are not NATO members.

The highlights of the document include NATO pledges that it will not offer membership to Ukraine. Russia also demanded NATO removes all its military infrastructure in Eastern Europe after 1997.

Russia's proposal also includes a commitment not to install intermediate-range missiles in locations where they may target the opposing party's territory, a provision that follows the United States and Russia's departure from a Cold War-era treaty prohibiting such weapons.

The idea exposed sharply different perspectives on the military situation in Ukraine between the United States and Russia. Russia has claimed the West was inciting the conflict by creating anti-Russian sentiment in Ukraine and sending weaponry. According to the Foreign Ministry, the conflict has become a significant danger to Russia's security.