Russia Vows to Firmly Defend National Interests at Talks with US, NATO

Tuesday, 28 December 2021 6:37 PM  

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (photo by AFP)

Russia say it will firmly defend its national interests at upcoming talks with the United States and NATO, amid rising tensions between Moscow and the West.

Addressing a meeting in Moscow on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pledged not to make any unilateral concessions to the US-led Western military alliance without taking balance of interest into account.

"We are now preparing to firmly and effectively pursue the agenda of defending our interests and refusing to make concessions that would be unilateral and that would not take into account the balance of interests," the top Russian diplomat said. "This is what we are proceeding from now when we are getting ready for the negotiations, first of all, with the United States."

Lavrov also said in an interview live-streamed on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website on Monday that the talks would take place immediately after Russia's New Year holidays.

The US and Russia will hold talks with the US on arms control and the situation in Ukraine on January 10. Russia says it had received and was considering a separate NATO proposal to start negotiations on Moscow's security concerns. According to reports, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has decided to convene a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) on January 12 in an effort to address the developments around Ukraine.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko has also said that the main issue to be raised at the talks would be security proposals for NATO laid out by Russia, including a non-expansion of the alliance in Eastern Europe.

Moscow recently sent the provisions in a proposal to Washington, describing them as essential requirements for lowering tensions in Europe and defusing the current crisis over Ukraine.

Russia and the US-led NATO have recently been at odds over Ukraine, among other issues.

NATO is preparing itself for a large-scale armed confrontation with Moscow, says Russia’s deputy defense minister, warning against the US-led alliance’s eastward expansion.

In an attempt to prevent the escalation of a dangerous security situation near its border, Russia asked the United States and its NATO allies to offer security guarantees.

Western countries accuse Moscow of preparing for an invasion of Ukraine by amassing troops and weapons near the border with Ukraine. Moscow, however, says it is entitled to move its military freely within its borders and that it is taking precautionary measures because of increased NATO activity near its territory.