At yesterday’s meeting with Russian officials at the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels, which was attended by all 30 NATO members, the United States and its allies made it clear enough that they would not allow anyone to close the Alliance’s “Open Doors” policy, he said. spokesman Ned Price.
In December, Moscow sent a set of demands for talks with the United States over Moscow’s dissatisfaction with NATO expansion to the east, military exercises in countries near Russia, and a ban on Ukraine and Georgia joining the Alliance.
Talks on the Russian request began in Geneva on Monday with meetings on strategic arms dialogue between the United States and Russia. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and other senior US officials have suggested that European security talks could not be held without European officials.
At a news briefing at the State Department last night, Price said that during Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman’s meetings with EU partners, she discussed the working conclusions of the G7 summit.
“Prepare coordinated economic measures that will cost the Russian economy dearly if Russia makes a tragic mistake (invades Ukraine),” Price said.
He noted that even after the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna, the governments will discuss the conclusions reached bilaterally, NATO and at the OSCE level and will determine the next steps.
“Russia is facing a difficult choice – to de-escalate and apply diplomacy, a course we want, or to confront and face the consequences,” the spokesman said.
According to him, the United States notes significant attempts by Moscow to place false claims about Europe, Ukraine and the United States, in an attempt to justify Russian behavior and potentially create an occasion for invasion of Ukraine.
– No one should be surprised if Russia spreads misinformation about obligations that were not promised – and this was said by the deputy (Sherman). This morning, she urged no one to fall for the constant misinformation from Moscow.
Meanwhile, Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE / RL) reported today that hundreds of units of military equipment, including Grad and Hurricane rocket launchers, were being transferred to Russia from Siberia and the Far East. The media quoted a report from the “Conflict Intelligence Team” project, which studies the numerous videos posted on social networks.
The transfer of military equipment comes after Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on January 11 new military exercises in the western part of the country near the border with Ukraine, involving XNUMX troops and XNUMX units of military equipment.
The West has said Russia is preparing for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine after deploying about 100.000 troops along its border with the neighboring country and the annexed Crimean peninsula in recent months, which the United States says is preparing for a military strike.
Source: Sloboden Pecat
