NATO said it was keeping a close eye on Russia, which is deploying troops on the Ukrainian border and sending troops and military equipment to Belarus for military exercises.
Stating that NATO is ready to increase the number of troops in Eastern Europe, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that a possible attack by Russia could take different forms such as cyber attack, coup attempt or sabotage.
Stoltenberg said in a statement in Brussels, “As NATO, we are ready to engage in political dialogue. However, we are also ready to respond if Russia prefers armed conflict and confrontation.”
“The USA and Russia did not take into account our security demands”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the United States and NATO have not addressed Russia’s main security demands regarding the stalemate in Ukraine, but Moscow is ready to continue the dialogue.
Putin expressed his initial reaction to the response of the United States and NATO to Russia’s demands in a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron. Putin has been quiet about the Ukraine crisis for weeks.
The Kremlin reported that Putin told Macron that he would evaluate the written responses of Washington and NATO before making any moves.
Russia’s concerns include curbing NATO’s expansion, not deploying offensive weapons near Russia’s borders, and ensuring that NATO returns to its “military capabilities and infrastructure” before it incorporated the former Warsaw Pact countries in Eastern Europe.
The United States and its allies had warned Putin that Russia would face heavy economic sanctions if it attacked Ukraine.
Additional sanctions can build on those imposed when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and supported separatists in eastern Ukraine. However, due to Europe’s dependence on Russia for energy supplies, there are differences among Western countries on how to respond to Russia’s aggressive stance towards Ukraine.
In his statement on Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a message using calming expressions, but said that the US and the West did not respond to Russia’s main demands.
In a statement to Russian radios, Lavrov said, “If it is up to Russia, there will be no war. We do not want war. But at the same time, we will not allow our interests to be ignored and brutally trampled.”
Expressing that he expects to meet with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken again in the next few weeks, Lavrov also noted that the US counter-offers are better than NATO’s, without going into details.
Lavrov’s remarks on Friday were described as Moscow’s most reassuring words on the Ukraine crisis, which emerged during the most tense East-West period since the Cold War ended 30 years ago.
The responses of the US and NATO to Russia were not made public. However, both the United States and NATO have noted their willingness to engage with Moscow on a range of issues, including arms control.
US Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan told reporters that Washington raises “the possibility of mutual transparency with the Russian government, including offensive weapons systems in Ukraine, measures to increase confidence in military exercises, and maneuvers in Europe.”
Sullivan said the size of Russia’s military presence near Ukraine would enable it to launch an invasion without any prior warning, and called on Russia to withdraw its troops.
US Ambassador Sullivan said, “This situation is equivalent to our mutual discussion or negotiation. If I put a gun to the table and say that I came with peaceful intentions, it is a threat.”
Russia, on the other hand, ignored the calls to withdraw its soldiers and stated that it could deploy its soldiers as it sees fit within its own territory.
On the other hand, Bruno Kahl, Head of the German Foreign Intelligence Agency (BND), said that Russia is preparing to attack Ukraine, but has not yet made its decision on whether to attack or not.
The Kremlin also announced that Putin will talk to Chinese President Xi Jinping at length and comprehensively on European security issues in China, where he will attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, which will start in Beijing next week.
Underlining the importance of the energy ties between Russia and Italy on Wednesday and meeting with Italian company executives, Putin is also scheduled to meet with German businessmen.