US President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin that he would discuss this issue with his NATO colleagues in response to Russian concern over NATO's eastward expansion, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters following talks between the two presidents.
"He (Biden) said that he would discuss all these concerns expressed by the Russian side in the circle of his allies," said Ushakov. He recalled that in general, the presidents had agreed to instruct their representatives to deal with this sensitive issue in the near future.
Answering the question of whether Russia plans to withdraw its military units from the borders with Ukraine after the talks on December 7, Ushakov was perplexed: "Where should we withdraw our troops, they are on Russian territory." "Russian troops are on their own territory and do not threaten anyone, and the Russian president said so," the Kremlin spokesman added.
Ushakov relayed to reporters the words Putin said to Biden, explaining the difference between US concern about Russian troops and Russia's concern about NATO approaching its borders. At the same time, the Kremlin spokesman stressed that he was transmitting these words "in his interpretation," adding that "these are very juicy definitions of our president."
"Putin said: you Americans are worried about our battalions on Russian territory, thousands of kilometers away from the United States. And we are really concerned about our security, Russia's security in a global sense, on a global scale. This is roughly what Putin commented at the end of the conversation, summarizing the exchange of views on this issue," said Ushakov.
The Kremlin spokesman noted that the prospect of discussing this concern of Moscow about NATO's eastward expansion "was defined (by the presidents) quite closely." "I don't know at what level the American participants will be represented, and who from us will participate. But I can say that the issues related to providing us with the necessary security guarantees, including in the context of non-deployment of offensive weapons and non-movement of further NATO to the east, these issues are logical to discuss in the group on strategic stability," Ushakov said. - "These issues will also be discussed directly within this group."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Alexey Nikolsky / TASS
Based on materials from TASS