LONDON Feb 2British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed deep concern about the situation on the Ukrainian border and «Russia's activities,» the Prime Minister's office said in a statement following the leaders' conversation on Wednesday. As the Kremlin previously informed, Putin and Johnson during the telephone conversation in detail exchanged views in the context of the intra-Ukrainian crisis and security guarantees of the Russian Federation. Putin noted NATO's unwillingness to adequately respond to legitimate Russian concerns, and also drew Johnson's attention to Kiev's chronic sabotage of the Minsk agreements.Putin and Johnson Discussed the Situation in Ukraine and Security Guarantees» The Prime Minister expressed his deep concern over Russia's current hostile activities on the Ukrainian border. He stressed the need to find a way forward that would respect both Ukraine's territorial integrity and the right to self-defence. The Prime Minister emphasized that any further Russian invasion of Ukraine would be a tragic miscalculation,» the message says. In addition, Johnson stressed that, according to NATO's open door policy, all European democracies have the right to seek membership in the alliance, which fully applies and to Ukraine. He stated that NATO is a defensive alliance. «Leaders agreed it was in no one's interest to escalate. The Prime Minister underlined the importance of dialogue and diplomacy and the need to involve Ukraine in negotiations,» Downing Street pointed out. Johnson and Putin welcomed UK-Russia communication on a number of important issues, including climate change, the situation in Afghanistan and the nuclear deal with Iran. «They agreed to apply this spirit of dialogue to the current tensions in order to find a peaceful solution,» the British Prime Minister's Office concluded.The United States called on the White House to explain the expediency of Ukraine in NATO 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. 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 expansion of NATO to the east, from joining the Ukrainian bloc and from establishing military bases in post-Soviet countries. The proposals also contain a clause on the non-deployment of NATO strike weapons near the borders of Russia and the withdrawal of alliance forces in Eastern Europe to the positions of 1997. On January 26, the United States and NATO sent to Moscow written responses to Russia's proposals on security assurances.
