Moscow said on Tuesday that relations between Russia and NATO have reached a “moment of truth” ahead of high-stakes talks on Ukraine and the Kremlin’s security demands.
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko was speaking in Geneva after Monday’s US-Russia talks, which began a week of diplomacy between Russia and the West amid fears of a Russian invasion of its western neighbor Ukraine.
Moscow has sought broad concessions from Washington and its NATO allies, which in turn have threatened severe sanctions for any attack.
The NATO-Russia Council meeting will be held in Brussels on Wednesday.
“It is no exaggeration to say that a moment of truth is coming in our relationship with the coalition,” Mr Grushko was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
Moscow has demanded comprehensive security guarantees from Washington and its NATO allies and insists it has promised that NATO will not expand eastward.
“Our expectations are completely realistic and we expect this to be a serious, in-depth dialogue on the key, fundamental problems of European security,” Mr Grusco said, referring to the talks in Brussels.
He said Russia would seek a comprehensive response from the coalition on its demands.
“We will push for a concrete, genuine, article-by-article response to the Russian draft agreement on guarantees,” he said.
In December, Russia unveiled proposals to include the United States and NATO in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, saying the US-led coalition should not accept Ukraine or Georgia as new members.
After more than seven hours of talks in Geneva on Monday, both Russian and US officials offered to continue talks, though with no success.
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