[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Amid escalating tensions between the US and Russia over Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if Russia's security guarantee demands are rejected, various military responses will be considered.
On the 26th (local time), in a state TV interview, President Putin responded to the host's question, "If the United States and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) again refuse Russia's proposals, what kind of military and technical responses will Russia take?"
President Putin said, "If the West continues aggressive actions on our doorstep, we will have no choice but to take appropriate military and technical measures," adding, "The responses can be very diverse. It depends on what proposals our military experts submit to me."
He claimed that Russia has been pushed to a point where it can no longer retreat regarding security issues.
He emphasized, "Western countries have pushed us to the limit," and "We have nowhere else to retreat." He added, "We discussed the dangers of the new (NATO) missile systems that take only 4 to 5 minutes to reach Moscow."
President Putin also stated that Russia will strive for positive outcomes in negotiations with the US and NATO, such as signing legally binding documents on security guarantees.
He stressed, "We did not make proposals to halt something during the negotiation process but to obtain diplomatically negotiated results legally specified in the form of documents," and "We will aim for this."
The tension triggered by Ukraine's push for NATO membership intensified as claims arose that Russia is deploying 100,000 troops and weapons near Ukraine and preparing to invade Ukraine early next year.
Russia has denied these claims, stating that the military movements are within its own territory and accusing the West of conducting propaganda to justify military support for Ukraine.
At the same time, Russia has demanded that the US and NATO sign security guarantee documents that prohibit further NATO membership of Ukraine and other former Soviet states, as well as the deployment of NATO weapons in Ukraine and adjacent regions, to ease tensions around Ukraine.
At the annual press conference held the day before, President Putin also claimed regarding the Ukraine situation, "The eastern Donbas region of Ukraine and the Crimean Peninsula were once Russian territory," and "The West must guarantee Russia's security."
President Putin officially raised these demands during a video summit with US President Joe Biden on the 7th, and on the 15th, the Russian Foreign Ministry delivered drafts of a Russia-US security guarantee treaty and a Russia-NATO member security guarantee agreement to the US side. Russia-US and Russia-NATO negotiations on these matters are scheduled to begin in January next year.
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