On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his willingness to provide security guarantees to Russia if it returned to the negotiating table.
Macron said, in an interview with the French TV “TF1”, “We must think about the security structure under which we will live tomorrow. I am talking in particular about the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO is approaching Russia’s borders, and it is deploying weapons that could threaten it.”
And he continued in his statements, which were also reported by the Russian news agency TASS: “This issue will be part of the discussions about peace, and we must prepare for what will come after (the Ukrainian conflict), and think about how we can protect our allies and at the same time how to provide Russia with guarantees regarding its security once the parties return.” to the negotiating table.”
It is noteworthy that in December 2021, that is, before the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia submitted two draft agreements with the United States and NATO on the file of security guarantees, which was a pivotal issue for Moscow.
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These issues include, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, first, “guarantees that NATO will not expand eastward at the expense of Ukraine and any other countries,” and second, “undertaking obligations not to deploy new American medium- and short-range missiles in Europe, because the installation of such weapons could lead to a radical deterioration.” the security situation on the continent.
Thirdly, the Russian proposals, according to the ministry, are based on “limiting military activities in Europe and excluding the increase in the so-called forward stationed forces groups.”
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by angry international reactions and the imposition of “tough” economic and financial sanctions on Moscow.
Russia requires to end the process Ukraine’s abandonment of any plans to join military entities, including NATO, and its commitment to complete neutrality, which Kyiv considers “interfering with its sovereignty.”
