Russia the president Vladimir Putin Washington said on Thursday that Washington ‘s response to Moscow’ s so – called security guarantees has been positive.
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“We have seen a positive response so far. ASV partners are telling us that they are ready to start this discussion, these talks as early as next year in Geneva, “Putin told reporters at the annual closing press conference, adding that both sides have already appointed representatives for the talks.
Russia’s foreign ministry officially revealed last Friday what “security guarantees” Moscow was demanding of the West and called on Washington to hasten talks on the issue.
Among other things, Russia has demanded a commitment from NATO not to pursue enlargement or to join Ukraine and other countries, and to refrain from any hostilities in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
“NATO’s expansion to the east must not happen,” Putin said.
“The ball is on their side of the field. They have to give us some answer,” Putin said, adding that “overall we are seeing a positive response.”
Meanwhile, several NATO members have already categorically rejected Russia’s demands.
At the same time, Putin said that he did not promise anything in exchange for “security guarantees”, stating that “our actions will not depend on the progress of the negotiations, but on the unequivocal guarantee of Russia’s security.”
However, the United States has stated that it is open to discussion but has not yet provided a detailed response to Moscow. True, Washington has stated that a number of Russia’s proposals are clearly unacceptable.
The West and Kiev are concerned that Moscow could plan a new invasion of Ukraine, and the United States has warned Moscow that such a move would have serious economic consequences.
Russia has drawn about 100,000 troops from Ukraine’s borders.
Putin on Tuesday warned the West that Russia was ready to take “military technical measures” in response to the West’s hostility to Ukraine. Putin also said the new hyper-sounding missiles, which he had previously called invincible, were almost ready for battle.
Putin also commented on the Kremlin’s detention at an annual press conference, saying it was being used to eradicate foreign influence.
“I recall what our opponents have been saying for centuries: Russia cannot be defeated, it can only be destroyed from within,” Putin said.
He added that it was the internal forces “serving foreign interests” that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union 30 months ago.
At the beginning of the press conference, Putin also commented on the epidemiological situation in the country and the impact of the pandemic on the economy.
Citing data and facts, Putin praised Russia’s response to the pandemic.
“We have recovered much better than others,” Putin said, adding that he expects economic growth to be around 4.5% next year.
This was largely possible due to the lack of strict quarantine regimes in the country. However, this contributed to the spread of the virus.
According to Reuters, according to official figures, the total number of Covid-19 victims in Russia is over 600,000, the third highest number of Covid-19 victims in the world after the United States, killing 813,000 people. and Brazil, where 618,000 people died from Covid-19.
These deaths have contributed to Russia’s rapid demographic decline, which has resulted in the loss of more than a million people in less than two years.
Putin described the situation as worrying and complained about the 59.4% level of so-called crowd immunity in Russia.
Russian society is skeptical about vaccination, and Putin has once again called on the Russians to go vaccinate against Covid-19.
In Russia, only about 44% of the population is fully vaccinated.
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