Blingen told reporters on Wednesday that the US response to Russia was “proposing a radical diplomatic approach if Russia so wishes” and that he looked forward to meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the coming days after receiving the document. Retrieved in Moscow.
US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan responded privately to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The document outlines areas where the United States has stated that Moscow aims to allay public concerns and see the potential for progress with Russia: Armed Forces, Transparency and Stability, he told reporters at the Foreign Ministry.
“The document we provide includes the concerns of the United States and our allies and partners about Russia’s actions undermining security, an initial and operational assessment of the concerns raised by Russia, and our proposals for areas where we can find common ground.”
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. U.S. officials say Russia has shown no signs of slowing down, and have warned that an invasion could be imminent if Moscow deploys tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border.
The United States has repeatedly said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s central call that the United States and NATO should never include Ukraine in the alliance has failed. Although Blinken declined to provide detailed information to Moscow, he said it reflected the general reaction of the West to NATO’s support for an “open door policy” and rejected NATO’s demands that Ukraine never accept Ukraine.
“It simply came to our notice then. There will be no change, ”said Blinken, referring to US and NATO support for the coalition ‘open door policy.
“We make it clear that we must uphold and defend the fundamental principles of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including security arrangements and the right to choose alliances,” he added.
Blingen said Wednesday that the ball is now in Russia’s court.
“If Russia is serious about working, I think there are important things to work on. It depends on President Putin. Let’s see how they behave,” he said.
No official negotiation document
In a US written response to Moscow, Blinken said President Joe Biden was “closely involved.”
Responding to a question from CNN’s Kylie Atwood, Blinken said, “We have been following her for the past few weeks.
The document, released Wednesday, was “not a formal negotiation document,” Blinken said.
“They are not explicit proposals. They can identify areas and some ideas, how together, if serious, can improve collective security, ”he said.
Blinken stressed that the US response was “carried out in full coordination with Ukraine and our European allies and partners,” and an informed source said that Ukraine had received a copy of the US document.
Blingen said the document had been viewed by Congress and would be explained to congressional leaders later Wednesday.
He said the United States would not release their document “because we believe that diplomacy has a better chance of success if we allow secret talks.”
“We hope and expect Russia to share the same view and take our proposal seriously,” Blinken said.
But US officials acknowledged that there was a good chance Russia would release the full document once the receipt was received.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the response. “Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander V. Khrushchev welcomed US Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan at his request,” the ministry said in a statement.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that NATO had sent a written response to Moscow’s security demands. He told a news conference in Brussels, Belgium, that the NATO proposal had been sent “parallel to the United States.”
Although the positions of Moscow and the coalition are “different”, the NATO leader has identified three key areas that see NATO as the “room for progress”. He called for the reopening of Moscow and NATO “offices in Moscow and Brussels.”
“We must make full use of our existing military communication channels to increase transparency and reduce risk,” he said. “Also consider setting up a civilian emergency hotline.”
I hope to develop more diplomacy
U.S. officials say they have decided to provide written answers – this is Russia’s request from those who put forward written ideas in December – in an effort to encourage US-anticipated diplomacy to counter Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“We put forward these ideas because if they negotiate in good faith, they have the potential to improve our security and the security of our allies and partners, while at the same time resolving Russia’s expressed concerns through mutual commitment,” Blingen said Wednesday.
“We are ready for conversation. We want diplomacy, and if Russia reduces its aggression against Ukraine, stops annoying rhetoric, and approaches discussions about future security, we are ready to advance where communication and cooperation are possible. With mutual understanding in Europe. ”
But some allies and experts wonder how much importance the US should place on this document, which will not lead to talks on Russia’s key demands, and fears that Moscow will use the US response as an excuse. To say that diplomacy has failed.
The top US diplomat acknowledged that “it is true that Russia did not take this seriously.”
“But we have an obligation to test this proposal, to follow the diplomatic path, and not to touch even a single diplomatic stone, because it is far better to resolve these differences peacefully in line with our policies than to renew the occupation. Conflict and all that comes after it.”
“But the most important thing is that we are ready for anything,” Blingen said.
The story was updated on Wednesday with background and other improvements.
CNN’s Casey Riddell, Eli Kaufman, Daria Tarasova, Lauren Kent and Lindsay Isaac contributed to the report.
“Explorer. Devoted travel specialist. Web expert. Organizer. Social media geek. Coffee enthusiast. Extreme troublemaker. Food trailblazer. Total bacon buff.”