NATO logo in front of the headquarters in Brussels. File photoMOSCOW, Jan 22NATO expansion to Russia's borders is unreasonable and causes concern, Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov told the Canadian CBC television channel. «We believe that NATO expansion to our borders is unreasonable … We are concerned about our security,» Stepanov said. He stressed that Russia is not going to invade Ukraine. In addition, the Russian ambassador also noted that negotiations on security guarantees with NATO countries could fail if Russia does not get what it wants. Answering a question about possible sanctions that Western countries could impose against Russia because of Ukraine, Stepanov said that there will be consequences in bilateral relations with these countries. Russia has repeatedly rejected the accusations of the West and Ukraine of «aggressive actions», stating that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack anyone, and statements about «Russian aggression» are used as a pretext, to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously noted that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the ability to help Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. >Canada will allocate $120 million in aid to Ukraine, Zelensky said. At the same time, Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» by Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not worry anyone. At the end of 2021, Russia published draft agreements with the United States and agreements with NATO on security guarantees. Moscow, in particular, demands from its Western partners legal guarantees of refusing further eastward expansion of NATO, joining the Ukrainian bloc, and establishing military bases in post-Soviet countries. On January 10, Russia and the United States held a round of dialogue on strategic stability in Geneva. It was followed by a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels and consultations at the Vienna site of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The proposals of the Russian side became the main focus of the discussions.
