Russia demands US, NATO response next week on Ukraine

MOSCOW — Russia connected Friday powerfully reaffirmed its request that NATO doesn’t grow eastward contempt the rejection of that by the subject confederation amid a Russian unit buildup adjacent Ukraine.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Moscow wouldn’t hold indefinitely for the Western response, saying helium expects the U.S. and NATO to supply a written reply adjacent week.

Lavrov described Moscow’s demands for binding guarantees that NATO volition not clasp Ukraine oregon immoderate different ex-Soviet nations, oregon presumption its forces and weapons determination arsenic indispensable for the advancement of diplomatic efforts to defuse soaring tensions implicit Ukraine.

He argued that the deployment of NATO forces and weapons adjacent Russia’s borders poses a information situation that indispensable beryllium addressed immediately.

“We person tally retired of patience,” Lavrov said astatine a quality conference. “The West has been driven by hubris and has exacerbated tensions successful usurpation of its obligations and communal sense.”

Amid the tensions, Ukraine sustained a monolithic cyberattack Friday, which deed websites of aggregate authorities agencies.

This week’s negotiations successful Geneva and a related NATO-Russia gathering successful Brussels were held amid a important Russian unit buildup adjacent Ukraine that the West fears mightiness beryllium a prelude to an invasion.

Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula successful 2014, has denied having plans to onslaught its neighbour but warned the West that NATO’s enlargement to Ukraine and different ex-Soviet nations is simply a “red line” that mustn’t beryllium crossed.

Washington and its allies firmly rejected Moscow’s request for information guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion, but Russia and the West agreed to permission the doorway unfastened to imaginable further talks connected arms power and confidence-building measures intended to trim the imaginable for hostilities.

Lavrov said that those issues are secondary successful respect to Moscow’s main request for the non-expansion of NATO and the non-deployment of its weapons adjacent the Russian territory, emphasizing that the Russian proposals correspond a “package, not a menu.”

“They indispensable recognize that the cardinal to everything is the warrant that NATO volition not grow eastward,” helium said.

Russia’s apical diplomat warned that “if our proposals are rejected ... we volition marque a determination connected however to guarantee our information successful a reliable way,” citing President Vladimir Putin’s informing that Moscow volition instrumentality unspecified “military-technical measures” if the West stonewalls its demands.

Lavrov’s deputy, Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation astatine the talks successful Geneva, said Thursday that helium would “neither corroborate nor exclude” the anticipation of Russia sending subject assets to Cuba and Venezuela if the U.S. and its allies don’t curtail their subject activities connected Russia’s doorstep.

U.S. nationalist information advisor Jake Sullivan dismissed the statements astir a imaginable Russian deployment to Cuba and Venezuela arsenic “bluster successful the nationalist commentary.”

The negotiations took spot arsenic an estimated 100,000 Russian troops with tanks and different dense weapons are massed adjacent Ukraine’s eastbound border. The U.S. and its allies urged Russia to deescalate by pulling troops backmost to their imperishable bases, but Moscow has rebuffed the demand, saying it’s escaped to deploy forces connected its territory wherever it deems necessary.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that troops stationed successful eastbound Siberia and the acold eastbound portion person been scrambled for question crossed the state arsenic portion of drawback drills to cheque their “readiness to execute their tasks aft redeployment to a ample distance.”

The ministry noted that “a peculiar attraction volition beryllium fixed to the appraisal of the country’s transport infrastructure to guarantee the question of troops,” adding that the troops volition behaviour drills involving firing unrecorded ammunition aft the redeployment.

Russia seized the Crimean Peninsula aft the ouster of Ukraine’s Moscow-friendly person and successful 2014 besides threw its value down a separatist insurgency successful eastbound Ukraine. More than 14,000 radical person been killed successful astir 8 years of warring betwixt the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces successful the country’s concern heartland called Donbas.

Ukraine’s subject quality said Friday that separatist forces person launched drills involving firing unrecorded ammunition that are overseen by Russian subject officers.

Ukraine and the West person accused Russia of deploying its troops to Donbas to backmost separatists — accusations that Moscow has denied.

Yuras Karmanau successful Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.