The United States should give legally binding guarantees to Russia to stop eastward expansion of NATO, said a senior Russian official in New Delhi on Wednesday. Roman Babushkin, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Russian Embassy described NATO as the “mechanism of confrontation” and emphasised that Russia is not planning to invade Ukraine. A Russian troop build-up close to the border with east of Ukraine has raised fears the Kremlin is planning military intervention in its pro-EU neighbour as Moscow presses demands over NATO's presence in eastern Europe.
“First of all, we expect a written response by the U.S. to the Russian proposals regarding security guarantees and official commitments for non-expansion of NATO eastwards, said deputy chief of Russian Embassy.