MOSCOW (Dispatches) - Moscow
expects that the United States and NATO will furnish written responses on the issue of security guarantees, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Friday on the results of Russia’s diplomatic activities in 2021.
“We expect our colleagues to give responses, written responses, putting their proposals on paper like we did. Meanwhile, we will certainly continue activities to make sure that we are prepared for any kind of developments,” he pointed out.
“On the whole, we are confident that if there is goodwill and willingness to make compromises, then it’s always possible to find a mutually acceptable solution,” the Russian top diplomat stressed.
Lavrov noted that at the beginning of last year, Moscow and Washington had managed to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) for five years without any conditions, which was what Russia had called for.
“We appreciated this step by the Biden administration, which was actually one of the first taken after the formation of the Democratic administration,” the Russian foreign minister noted.
According to him, Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the United States emphasized the need for dialogue on all issues related to strategic stability at their meeting in Geneva last June.

Russia Will Sever Ties With U.S. If It Sanctions Putin

On Thursday, the Kremlin warned of a complete rupture of U.S.-Russia ties if Washington moves to sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The imposition of sanctions against the head of state and against the head of Russia, I repeat once again, is an outrageous measure that is comparable to a break in relations,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
This came after top Senate Democrats on Wednesday, led by Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, unveiled a new sanctions bill that would penalize Russia if it invades Ukraine.
“This legislation makes it absolutely clear that the US Senate will not stand idly by as the Kremlin threatens a re-invasion of Ukraine,” Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement.