US attempts to 'blackmail and intimidate' Moscow on Ukraine are 'unacceptable': Russia

Attempts by the US to pressure and intimidate Moscow are “unacceptable” and will not lead to the desired result, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Monday. It is to mention that Russia has repeatedly denied any intentions of invading Ukraine, however, its deployment of over 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian border has become a major flashpoint in soaring relations between Moscow and the West. In the past months, the US has repeatedly threatened Russia of “severe cost” and warned of new sanctions if it launches a fresh incursion into the former Soviet nation. 

"We constantly hear about a certain price... that Russia will have to pay if it does or does not do something that these people want us or do not want to do; it's as if history hasn't taught them anything... Such a tone of the conversation is, in principle, unacceptable for us. It will not yield the results they are looking for,"  Sergey Ryabkov stressed following security talks with the US in Geneva, as per Sputnik. 

"There are attempts to put forward an ultimatum. These are attempts to blackmail and intimidate," Ryabkov asserted.

Further, the top Russian diplomat highlighted that he understood that the West’s modern foreign policy has nothing in its arsenal aside from sanctions and blackmail. However, he said that Russia is willing to carry on and will, if necessary, “teach the lost skill of negotiating” to the West. Ryabkov also went on to note that the nations had a common understanding that dialogue on strategic stability and arms control would continue. 

"I don't think the situation is hopeless. I think the negotiations in Geneva are useful in that, for the first time, we have been able to talk about issues that previously were invisible; everyone understood they existed but pretended it was better not to voice them," Ryabkov asserted.

Russia demands 'ironclad' guarantees

Regarding Moscow’s issue with NATO expanding eastward, the top Russian diplomat stated that “no progress” had been made. Ryabkov warned the US is moving too slowly and not taking Moscow's key demands seriously. He stated that it is impossible for any progress to be made until the US gives legal guarantees Ukraine and Georgia - two former Soviet nations - will never join NATO. 

Speaking to reporters, Ryabkov said that the Kremlin is “fed up with loose talk and half promises”. Reiterating Russia’s top demand, he added: "We do not trust the other side. We need ironclad, waterproof, bullet-proof, legally binding guarantees. Not safeguards -- guarantees.” The Russian diplomat said that the US is failing to understand the urgency of the situation. He also denied the approximately 100,000 Russian troops on three sides of Ukraine’s border and preparation for an invasion. 

(Image: AP)