Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday said he would consider a range of options if the US and NATO refuse to provide Moscow with security guarantees over NATO’s eastward expansion.
“It may vary,” Putin said of Russia’s potential response, according to Russia’s Tass news agency. “It will depend on the proposals that our military experts will make to me.”
Putin wouldn’t specify what Russia might do if the West refuses the guarantees but warned he could take “adequate military-technical measures” if NATO continues its “aggressive” course “on the threshold of our home.”
Ultimately, Russia wants to resolve the situation through negotiations. Putin said Russia put forward security proposals to the US to “reach a legally binding outcome of diplomatic talks on the documents.”
Talks between the US and Russia on the security guarantees are expected to start sometime in early January in Geneva. Besides trying to stop NATO’s eastward expansion, Russia is also seeking mutual agreements on the deployment of nuclear weapons and other military hardware in Eastern Europe.
On Saturday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that over 10,000 Russian troops are returning to their permanent bases after drills in the region near Ukraine, a sign Moscow could be looking to reduce tensions ahead of the Geneva talks.
https://www.krasnoevents.com/uploads/1/1/6/6/116679777/krasno_analysis_-_matlock_ukraine_-_dec._2021.pdf
The situational analysis from former US Ambassador to Russia Jack Matlock.
Thanks for sharing. He sounds like the kind of sensible politician we need in office, but we would never get in a position to make a difference.
Probably would never get an invitation for an interview on our media either.
The foreign policy establishment understands very well the straight-forward state of affairs. Its only the cabal of neocons and their supporters in the MSM and MIC that are forcing this manic vision of global hegemony business.
So much easier to sell those at home about the demonized bad guy over there, than the truth is just a $ that they dont share…
Or the troops were just rotated out in preparation for the Russian Christmas in the first week of January. No doubt other troops will rotate back in after that. Standard military procedure for training bases. Means nothing. As long as half the Ukraine army is on the contact line, Russia will remain ready for war.
I was once told Russians can be extremely subtle when giving out answers or information. This is one such case.
It may sound like Putin dodged the question but he actually answered it.
When he replied “It will depend on the proposals that our military experts will make to me.” he purposefully left out any options the Ministry of Foreign Affairs might offer.
That means diplomacy is off the table if NATO does not comply with Russia’s demands and the only options are of a military nature.
Good. The Russians are finally starting to understand that force is the only language America understands.