Ukraine crisis: Blinken says US offers no concessions in response to Russian demands
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said Washington has made no concessions to the main Russian demands over Ukraine and NATO, in a written response delivered to Moscow on Wednesday.
Shortly earlier, Russia said it had received the United States' response to its demands including NATO's withdrawal from eastern Europe, an issue at the heart of the Ukrainian security crisis.
The foreign affairs ministry in Moscow said in a statement that the American ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, handed in Washington's written reply to its demands concerning security to deputy foreign minister Alexander Grouchko.
Russia has demanded guarantees that NATO will halt its eastward expansion, rule out membership for Ukraine and other former Soviet countries, and roll back its military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.
But Blinken said Wednesday's answer to Russia makes very clear that the US is standing by its principles. "There is no change, there will be no change,” he said.
Speaking at a news conference, the secretary of state said that the US proposals offered Russia a "serious diplomatic path forward". These included safeguarding the right of nations to choose their own alliances, he added.
In December, Moscow set out its security demands in two documents: a proposed treaty with the US, and an agreement with NATO. NATO is due to provide its own response on Wednesday.
Addressing the State Duma of the Russian Federal Assembly earlier on Wednesday, Lavrov said he and other top officials would advise President Vladimir Putin on the next steps after receiving written replies from the United States to Moscow's demands.
"If a constructive response does not arrive and the West continues its aggressive course, Moscow will, as the
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