FM Lavrov Said Russia Would Eliminate Threats to Its Security

Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, noted that the insistence by Russia on security guarantees has the intention of establishing a system of agreements. The FM announced that Moscow would take action to eliminate threats if NATO and U.S. don't provide solutions to its requests about security guarantees in an adequate time frame.

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"If a constructive response does not follow within a reasonable time and the West continues its aggressive line, then Russia will be forced to take all necessary measures to ensure a strategic balance and eliminate unacceptable threats to our security," the Minister said to Sputnik.

"Our proposals are aimed at creating and legalizing a new system of agreements based on the principle of the indivisibility of security and abandonment of attempts to achieve military superiority, which was approved unanimously by the leaders of all Euro-Atlantic states in the 1990s. I would like to emphasize that what we need is legally binding guarantees since our Western colleagues systematically fail to fulfill political obligations, not to mention voiced assurances and promises given to Soviet and Russian leaders," Lavrov stated.

Lavrov's comments came after the Thursday phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Joe Biden, which aimed to get security guarantees talks in January 2022 to help release tensions related to Ukraine's conflict. The discussions will occur in three different stages: on January 10, between Russia and the U.S. in Geneva, the Russia-NATO Council meeting on January 12, and closing with the Russia-OSCE consultations on January 13.

During the talks, Biden refers to the shared responsibility by Russia-U.S. on ensuring the world's stability. He also stressed that he would consult with his allies on the security talks. In the meantime, Moscow highlighted its need for legally binding agreements on security guarantees.

Kremlin aide, Yuri Ushakov, declared that "Putin outlined in detail the basic principles laid down by Russia in the security proposals and emphasized that we will seek to ensure Russia's security. In principle, the U.S. president agreed with this point of view." He added that "Biden clearly stated that the United States does not intend to deploy offensive strike weapons in Ukraine. And Putin noted that this is one of the key points for us."

"Our actions will depend on the unconditional guarantees of Russian national security, rather than the course of negotiations [on the security guarantees]. We made it clear that NATO's expansion to the east was unacceptable. The U.S. is on our doorstep with its missiles. How would Americans react if we were to deploy our missiles on the U.S. border with Canada or Mexico?" Putin said during a press conference last week.

The Russian President referred to the repeated times the U.S. administration and its allies said they wouldn't extend NATO into Eastern Europe before doing precisely that. "'Not one inch to the East," they told us in the '90s. So what? They cheated, just brazenly tricked us! Five waves of NATO expansion and now already, please, the missile systems are appearing in Romania and Poland," Putin declared.