Russia envoy: Moscow may take measures if western powers ignore demands

Russia may take unspecified new measures to
ensure its security if the US and its allies continue to take provocative
action and ignore Moscow’s demand for guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to
Ukraine, a senior diplomat said Saturday.

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Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov
accused Western allies of continuously pushing the envelope in relations with
Russia, and warned that Moscow could also up the ante if the West doesn’t treat
its demands seriously.

Ryabkov’s statement in an interview with
the Interfax news agency came a day after Moscow submitted draft security
documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former
Soviet countries and roll back the alliance’s military deployments in Central
and Eastern Europe — bold ultimatums that are almost certain to be rejected by
the US and its allies.

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Russia
may attack Ukraine

The publication of the demands — contained
in a proposed Russia-US security treaty and a security agreement between Moscow
and NATO — comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop build-up near
Ukraine that has raised fears of an invasion. Russia has denied it has plans to
attack its neighbour but wants legal guarantees that would rule out NATO
expansion and deploying weapons there.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the
demand for security guarantees in last week’s video call with U.S. President
Joe Biden. During the conversation, Biden voiced concern about a build-up of
Russian troops near Ukraine and warned him that Russia would face “severe
consequences” if Moscow attacked its neighbour.

“They have been extending the limits of
what’s possible” regarding Russia, Ryabkov told Interfax in response to a
question about the Western threat of tough new sanctions against Moscow.

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“But they fail to consider that we will
take care of our security and act in a way similar to NATO’s logic and also
will start extending the limits of what is possible sooner or late,” Ryabkov
said. “We will find all the necessary ways, means and solutions needed to
ensure our security.”

He didn’t elaborate on what action Russia
may take if its demands are rejected by the West.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
emphasized Friday that any security talks with Moscow would need to take into
account the trans-Atlantic alliance’s concerns and involve Ukraine and other
partners. The White House similarly said it’s discussing the proposals with US
allies and partners, but noted that all countries have the right to determine
their future without outside interference.

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‘Balancing
on the edge of war’

Ryabkov said that NATO’s moves have become
increasingly provocative, describing them as “balancing on the edge of war.” He
added that Russia now wants to hear a Western response before upping the ante.

“We don’t want a conflict. We want to reach
an agreement on a reasonable basis,” he said. “Before making any conclusions
what to do next and what steps could be taken, we need to make sure that the
answer is negative. I hope that the answer will be relatively constructive and
we engage in talks.”

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He said that the deployment of NATO’s
troops near Russia in the Baltic and the Black Sea regions have challenged
Russia’s core security interests, adding that “no one should underestimate
Moscow’s resolve in protecting its national security interests.”

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Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula
in 2014 and shortly after cast its support behind a separatist rebellion in the
country’s east. More than seven years of fighting has killed over 14,000 people
and devastated Ukraine’s industrial heartland, known as the Donbas.