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Putin says the US has not responded to Russia’s demands for Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said Washington’s response to Moscow’s security demands was inappropriate, signaling that a diplomatic solution to tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine is still far away. just achieved.

In comments made during a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and reported by the Kremlin’s press service, the Russian leader said Washington’s written responses, issued this week previously, ignored Moscow’s request for return to the expansion of the Nato . security alliancewhich Putin considers a significant threat.

“The reality is that the responses of the US and NATO do not take into account fundamental Russian concerns such as preventing NATO expansion,” the Kremlin said in a statement, summarizing. Putin’s comments to Macron.

In Paris, however, a senior French official said Putin told Macron “he is not looking for confrontation”.

Putin has expressed no intention of aggression and both sides have refrained from threats while focusing on the need for further dialogue in the so-called Normandy format including Germany, to resolve the issue. crisis in eastern Ukraine Officials in Paris say where Russia-backed separatists have taken control.

The two leaders spoke as Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, urged the US and other Western advocates to downplay public warnings of an impending full-scale invasion of Russia out of concern that it would destabilize the country’s economy.

“We understand what the risks are,” Zelensky said at a news conference, where he added that “we don’t see a larger escalation” than last spring when Russia’s military build-up began. head. “We don’t need this panic,” he said.

In the UK, a Downing Street spokesman said on Friday evening that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “determined to accelerate diplomatic efforts and strengthen deterrence to avoid bloodshed in Europe. He will reiterate the need for Russia to step back and engage diplomatically when he talks to President Putin this week.”

Zelensky called on Western supporters to help Kyiv fill a financial hole of up to $5 billion because the threat of war makes market access difficult. “We cannot solve this alone. We have to take the money out [of our reserves] and stabilize our currency. It is a very expensive price to pay,” Zelensky said.

The The answer of the United States and Nato The Russian demands, criticized by Putin, were presented directly to the Russian Foreign Ministry by the US Ambassador to Moscow last week.

The United States and NATO have told Moscow they are committed to keeping the transatlantic alliance open to new members, rejecting Russia’s request for centralization. Russian officials said the responses left “little reason for optimism” but suggested a conversation would continue “on secondary issues”.

Russia has more than 100,000 troops deployed around its border with Ukraine, raising fears that tensions could flare into full-blown war in Europe.

Russia presented security guarantees to the United States and Nato last December, ahead of a string of diplomatic meetings between the two sides this month that revealed several areas of compromise.

The draft proposal aimed at redrawing the security map of Europe, demanding that the West ensure that Ukraine never becomes a member of NATO and that the security alliance should delay deployment in the countries that have joined after the year. 1997.

Putin told Macron that these requests were not taken into account.

Another important question, also overlooked, the Kremlin said, is “how the United States and its allies intend to abide by the principle of indivisible security, which is enshrined in basic documents.” OSCE and Nato-Russian versions, stipulating that no one should strengthen their own security at the expense of the security of other countries. “

The two leaders agreed to continue talking. “Agreed to continue Russian-French dialogue on all European security issues,” the Kremlin said.

Macron, who recently laid out plans for “a new stable and secure order” in Europe, has engaged in a “strategic dialogue” with Putin since 2019 despite criticism. from some of France’s allies and European partners that it was too comfortable for the Russian leader.

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