Flags of participating states in front of NATO Headquarters in BrusselsMOSCOW, Feb. 21 Foreign Minister Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov at a meeting of the Security Council said that the West is not ready to accept Moscow's proposals for the non-expansion of NATO to the East. , this demand was rejected with reference to the so-called policy of «open doors» of the alliance and the freedom of the state to choose ways to ensure its security,» the minister said. At the same time, Lavrov added that «no alternatives to this key proposal were offered.» At the end of 2021, Russia published draft treaties with the United States and agreements with NATO on security assurances. 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 the alliance's forces in Eastern Europe to the positions of 1997. :39InfographicHow much the US is spending to contain RussiaInfographicViewPosted by: Olga Filippova
