Putin to endorse Russia’s reaction to US, NATO responses at appropriate moment — Kremlin

MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will endorse Russia’s response to the US and NATO messages on security guarantees at an appropriate moment, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday. "At an appropriate moment," he told TASS when asked when the president will endorse such a document. Earlier on Monday, Putin discussed with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov the United States’ and NATO’s responses to Russia’s proposals on long-term legally binding guarantees of its security. The president noted that Moscow’s concerns stem "from NATO’s never-stopping and very dangerous, <…> eastwards expansion, now at the expense of the former Soviet republics, including Ukraine." Lavrov informed the president about these responses, noting that NATO and the US gave a negative answer on Russia’s key concerns. He stressed that Moscow cannot be satisfied with these responses. However, in his words, some of the responses are quite constructive. These are concrete measures concerning shorter- and medium-range missiles and a series of proposals on reducing military risks, building up trust and military transparency. The minister pledged that Russia will continue seeking answers from Western partners to its questions concerning security guarantees and will try to receive concrete response from each country. When asked by Putin if there is a chance to reach an agreement with the Western partners on problem matters, the minister answered in the affirmative, saying that "there always is a chance." According to Lavrov, Russia’s response to Washington’s and Brussels’ proposals is ready. "The draft is worded in ten pages," he added. Read more