Russia urges US to 'abandon aggressive rhetoric of expansion' ahead of NATO talks

As Russian and NATO delegations arrive in Brussels for roundtable talks on Moscow’s security proposals, the Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov called on Washington to abandon the aggressive rhetoric against Moscow. In a statement shared on Facebook before the scheduled meeting between Moscow and the alliance, Antonov said that it was time to abandon the “aggressive” rhetoric and instead think about the future generations that will live together.

"It's time to abandon the aggressive rhetoric of foreign expansion and think about how future generations will live together. To do this, you need to do very little - respect your neighbour, avoid threats and move your military potential away from the Russian borders," Antonov said, according to Sputnik.

The Russian envoy also noted that Moscow “categorically” rejects any “provocative statements" by high-ranking US officials which are aimed at stalling the Russia-US talks. Antonov said, “We will not allow developments that would undermine the independence and sovereignty of the Russian Federation”. Russian and NATO Council will be meeting on Wednesday in Brussels where the alliance is headquartered. 

Russia-NATO talks follow the meeting between Russian and American delegations on Monday which was led by Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, respectively. The talks came after the Russian Foreign Ministry in December 2021 published two draft agreements on security guarantees in Europe to the US and NATO. 

These proposals include stopping the alliance from further eastward expansion as the West raised concerns over Moscow’s military build-up near the Ukrainian border. However, Russia has repeatedly denied the accusations and said that the country reserved the right to relocate the troops within its own sovereign territory. The West believes that Russia is planning an “invasion” of Ukraine. 

Russia claims 'anti-Russian' sentiment within NATO impacts talks

Earlier, Ryabkov said that Washington was uncomfortable discussing security guarantees in a bilateral format. He told Sputnik, “They [US] find it uncomfortable to hold bilateral dialogue with us because they feel behind them the eyes and ears of the most anti-Russian group within NATO”.  On 10 January, Russia and US met in Geneva, followed by a Russia-NATO Council meeting on 12 January and Russia-OSCE discussion on 13 January.