VIENNA (TASS): Russia’s response will not be long in coming unless the US and NATO respond to Russian demands for security guarantees. Russia does not rule out a new round of confrontation in Europe, Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, said at a meeting of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC).
“We will not tolerate attempts to“ test ”our security. We stand for fixing a clear framework of responsible behavior and clear rules of the game. If the United States and NATO do not respond to Russia’s demand for security guarantees, our response will not be long in coming. confrontation in Europe, “Gavrilov said.
He drew attention to the fact that the Russian leadership will insist on developing, on the basis of the principle of equal and indivisible security, serious legal guarantees excluding NATO’s eastward advance and the deployment of weapons systems that threaten the Russian side on Russia’s western borders. “We also insist on receiving a concrete reaction from the bloc to our proposals to de-escalate the situation in Europe, including withdrawing areas of operational exercises from the Russia-NATO contact line, resuming regular military contacts, agreeing on the maximum distance between warships and aircraft in order to prevent dangerous incidents on the Baltic Sea. and the Black Seas, “the diplomat added.
The head of the Russian delegation also noted that the NATO countries have been ignoring the fundamental concerns of the Russian Federation for decades, and the North Atlantic Alliance has for years refused to consider Russian initiatives to reduce the military threat in Europe. He said that Russia had not seen any response signals from NATO countries about their readiness for cooperation. “The lack of reaction leads to the obvious conclusion: they have malicious plans against the Russian Federation,” the Russian diplomat expressed his conviction.
He added that the military-political practice of the Western countries confirms the course towards destabilization of the situation in the Russian border area, because Russia monitors the constant approach of NATO infrastructure and various types of weapons to the Russian borders.
“It is obvious to us that the course of” absorption “of Ukraine and Georgia by this bloc will entail the appearance there of strike missile systems with a minimum flight time to Central Russia. Such irresponsible behavior creates unacceptable threats to the national security of our country and fuel serious military risks for all sides. “, – summed up Gavrilov.
The post Russia fears new round of confrontation in Europe appeared first on The Frontier Post.
