Russia lists demands for defusing Ukraine tensions

Russia’s foreign ministry has laid out demands for guarantees from Nato and the US on Ukraine and said it is ready for talks as early as Saturday.

Russia denies Western reports of up to 100,000 Russian troops close to Ukraine’s borders with plans to attack.

However it says if tensions are to be reduced then Nato should scrap hopes of Ukraine or Georgia ever joining the Western defensive alliance.

The Russian proposals are already being viewed as a non-starter by the US.

Responding to Moscow’s call for direct negotiations with the US, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters: “There will be no talks on European security without our European allies and partners.”

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia had given the US and Nato two draft treaties. There was no other option, he said, as the “state of relations between Russia and the collective West is a total lack of trust”.

In the proposals Russia sets out a series of demands, which require countries that joined Nato after the fall of the Soviet Union not to deploy troops or weapons in areas where they could be seen as a threat to Russia.

Heavy bombers and warships would not be allowed in areas outside their national airspace or waters from which they could launch an attack.

That would mean Nato not playing any role at all in any of the three Baltic republics or Poland. And Nato would have to abandon plans for Ukraine and Georgia to eventually join the Western alliance. (BBC)