US officials also offer negotiate on European security with Moscow but won’t move on most contentious issue
Highlights
- The US has presented its written response to Russian demands on Ukraine, but made clear that it did not change Washington’s support for Ukraine’s right to pursue Nato membership, the most contentious issue in relations with Moscow.
- Blinken was speaking hours after his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, threatened “retaliatory measures” if the US response did not satisfy the Kremlin.
- Nato delivered its own response to Moscow on Wednesday with the same message on Ukrainian membership.
- Interfax news agency quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying it had deployed a paratrooper unit to Belarus as well as Su-35 fighter jets as part of the Allied Resolve exercises.
- Talks earlier this month between Russia and the US, Nato and OSCE ended without significant agreement.