Biden and NATO administration told Russia on Wednesday, there would be no US concession or NATO about Moscow’s main demands to resolve the crisis over Ukraine.
In a separate written response submitted to Russia, the US and NATO upstall the open door policy of the Alliance for membership, rejecting the request to ban Ukraine permanently from joining, and said the spread of military forces and equipment in Eastern Europe could not be canceled.
“There is no change, there will be no change,” said Secretary of the State Antony Blinken. Also not until negotiations will be the response of the US and Europe against the Russian invasion in Ukraine, he said, repeating the mantra that such an attack will meet with great consequences and severe economic costs.
The response was unexpected and reflected what was said by Senior US and NATO officials for weeks. Even so, they and Russian reactions finally against them can determine whether Europe will return in the war.
There was no direct response from Russia but Russian officials had warned that Moscow would quickly take “retaliation measures” if the US and his allies rejected their demands.
Looking for the possibility of off-ramps that will enable Russia to withdraw around 100,000 soldiers who have been deployed near the Ukrainian border without emerging to lose the battle of will, the US response does describe the area where some Russian concerns can be handled, as long as the constage of tension with Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Blinken said Russia would not be surprised by the contents of several American documents that Russian US Ambassador John Sullivan delivered Wednesday to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“All said it sets serious diplomatic paths going forward, should Russia choose it,” he said. “The documents we convey include the concern of the United States and our partners and partners about Russian actions that damage security, principled and pragmatic evaluation of fears that Russia has increased, and our own proposals for areas where we might be able to do so find place together.”
Blinken said he hoped to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about the response in the coming days. But he emphasized the decision about pursuing diplomacy or conflict leaning against Russia and more specifically with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We will see how they respond,” he said. “But there is no doubt in my mind that if Russia approaches this seriously and in reciprocal spirit by determination to improve collective security for all of us, there are very positive things in this document that can be pursued. We cannot make a decision to Putin’s president. “
Shortly after Blinken spoke, NATO General Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels that the Alliance had sent a separate reply to Russia with an offer to improve communication, check ways to avoid military incidents or accidents, and discuss control of weapons. But, like Blinken, he refused an attempt to stop the membership.