Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid SlutskyMOSCOW, Feb. 1Commenting on the talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky said that Washington continues to whip up hysteria and reduce all negotiations on security guarantees to a discussion of the myth of «invasion» of Ukraine. On Tuesday telephone conversations between Lavrov and Blinken took place. «In the meantime, we see that in Washington they continue to whip up anti-Russian hysteria and are engaged in a frank substitution of concepts, trying to reduce all negotiations on security guarantees to a discussion of the myth of the upcoming invasion of Ukraine. Even in Kiev they are already denying the existence of any or threats on the border with Russia, but this does not stop the collective West from its intention to introduce new anti-Russian sanctions, pump up the Ukrainian army with weapons or bring all this «dummy» to the discussion of the UN Security Council,» Slutsky wrote. The deputy noted that all this is being done for the sake of in order to «shift the focus away from unfulfilled promises ii and obligations». «And all to contain Russia,» he added.
Moscow is waiting for NATO's reaction to the message on security, Lavrov said. The West obviously understands its obligations exclusively selectively and only in its own favor, the parliamentarian noted. «But this topic, as the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry assured, «no one will allow to wind up», and Russia again asks for honest explanations,» Slutsky stressed. Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern over the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» by Russia at the borders of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying that it does not threaten anyone and does not intend to attack anyone, and claims of «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to place more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted earlier that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. 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. As Lavrov stated, Russia does not create any pretexts for a conflict situation around Ukraine. According to him, Russia does not rule out that the hysteria around Ukraine, hyped by the West, is aimed at covering Kiev's line of sabotaging the Minsk agreements on Donbass. According to Peskov, the information hysteria of the US and NATO over Ukraine is generously framed by lies and fakes.
