Russia demands immediate reply from USA to its ultimatum on "security guarantees"

Russia has stated that it is waiting for an immediate reply from Washington to proposals for "security guarantees" presented to the USA and NATO as an ultimatum. This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov, - Russian media report.

"I think they will try to transfer all this into a sluggish process, and we need it urgently, since the situation is very difficult, it is acute and has a tendency to further complication", - the diplomat said. According to him, the Russian Federation is ready to start negotiations immediately.

As previously reported, Russia presented on December 17 draft documents outlining security measures that it wants to discuss with the USA and its NATO allies. One of the main points of this project is the U.S. refusal to support the further expansion of NATO to the east and the admission of the countries that were part of the USSR, including Ukraine, into the alliance. The Russian Federation also offers the USA to abandon the creation of military bases on the territory of the countries that were part of the USSR. It is proposed to enshrine in the draft Russian treaty that NATO members will be able to deploy their armed forces on the territory of other countries only with the consent of all parties to this agreement. The Russian Federation proposes to abandon "the conduct of any military activity on the territory of Ukraine, as well as other states of Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia".