Russia seeks legally binding guarantees from US that NATO military alliance will never expand to include Ukraine. US officials say President Biden gave no commitments to his Russian counterpart during high-stake talks
Putin presented Biden with a demand for legally binding security guarantees that would rule out the expansion of NATO, the Kremlin said after virtual talks between the two leaders.
"Therefore, Russia is seriously interested in obtaining reliable, legally fixed guarantees that rule out NATO expansion eastward and the deployment of offensive strike weapons systems in states adjacent to Russia," the Kremlin said. Putin also told his US counterpart he wanted guarantees that offensive strike systems would not be deployed in countries close to Russia, the Kremlin said.
"It's hard to expect any sudden breakthroughs, but the presidents demonstrated their willingness to continue practical work and begin discussing sensitive issues that seriously concern Moscow," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after the two-hour talks.Just hours before the call got under way, Ukrainian officials charged Russia was continuing to escalate the crisis by sending tanks and snipers to war-torn eastern Ukraine to “provoke return fire.
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