Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov described the White House’s statement about the US contemplating sending troops to Eastern Europe in the event of an aggravation of the situation around Ukraine as a “provocative signal”.

“[…] It is unclear why the US administration is doing this, instead of focusing on an alternative way to strengthen security, which was offered by Russia in the form of the guarantees that were earlier mentioned”, Ryabkov stated as quoted by Sputnik on Wednesday.

The Russian deputy foreign minister is due to meet US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried in Moscow later on Wednesday to discuss the idea of security guarantees.

“We will listen to what they tell us, in what form. We expect, however, that practical interest will be shown and there will be no surge of negativity, which was observed in many Russian proposals in the past”, Ryabkov said.

The statement follows White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki telling a news briefing that Washington is considering sending US troops to Eastern Europe if the situation over Ukraine deteriorates.

The statement comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s telephone conversation with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday, during which Putin underscored “the need to immediately begin negotiations with a view to work out clear, international legal agreements that would rule out any further NATO advance to the east and the deployment of weapons that threaten Russia in neighboring states, especially Ukraine”, according to a statement released by the Kremlin.

The statement added that the Russian president had pointed out that NATO continues the active military “development” of Ukraine, which threatens the security of Russia.

Source: Agencies