EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell BRUSSELS, Feb 7 Head of Diplomacy The EU Josep Borrell said that he was coordinating with the countries of the union a response to a letter from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Minister said that an official request would be sent through the department to colleagues in NATO and OSCE countries with an urgent demand to explain how they intend to fulfill the obligation not to strengthen their security at the expense of the security of others, and if they do not intend to, then explain why. The Russian Foreign Minister noted that the response of NATO and the OSCE will be a key issue in determining further proposals, which will be reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin. , and I continue to insist that the opportunity for a diplomatic solution remains,» he said at a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. At the end of 2021, Russia published drafts of a treaty with the United States and an agreement 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. 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. Later, the United States and NATO sent to Moscow written responses to Russia's proposals on security guarantees.
