Russia said on Tuesday it was still preparing its response to the American propositions on Moscow’s security guarantee proposals.

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko dismissed as not true a report suggesting that Russia transferred its follow-up to the US.

“This report is not true”, he told Sputnik.

“[Foreign Minister] Lavrov sent messages to his NATO counterparts, including [US Secretary of State Anthony] Blinken, on the issue of how NATO understands the fundamental, key principle of the indivisibility of security. And there is no answer to this message from the West, from no one. Therefore, it is wrong to present the case saying that we sent them a written response”, a diplomatic source with the Russian Foreign Ministry stressed.

Moscow published draft agreements in December 2021, amid an escalation of tensions in Ukraine. While the proposals include restrictions on troop and missile deployments for both sides, Russia specifically requested guarantees that NATO would not expand eastward to include Ukraine and Georgia, and won’t create new bases near the country’s border.

Commenting on the US response to the guarantee proposals, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that the main issue – NATO expansion – was left unanswered.

Source: Agencies