After meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the U.S. and NATO response to Moscow’s requested security guarantees, Interfax reported.
“We are carefully analyzing the written replies we received from the U.S. and NATO on January 26. But it is already clear, and I have informed Mr. Prime Minister of this, that Russia’s main concerns were ignored,” Putin said.
Putin is most concerned that Ukraine’s accession to NATO could change its dominance in the Donbas and Crimea:
“Let’s imagine that Ukraine is a member of NATO. Stuffed with weapons, with modern strike systems like those in Poland and Romania, it begins an operation in Crimea, not even talking about Donbas now. Let’s imagine that Ukraine is a NATO country and begins these military operations. Do we have to go to war with the NATO bloc? Has anyone thought anything about this? Apparently not.”
Meanwhile, the Financial Times reports that the United States and its allies have prepared a list of individuals from President Vladimir Putin’s entourage whom they may impose personal sanctions against.
The list includes individuals who “are part of the Kremlin’s inner circle or are close to it. They also play a role in the Russian authorities’ decision-making or at least participate in the Kremlin’s actions to destabilize it.” These could be officials, top officials, and board members of state-owned companies.
Personal sanctions are proposed in addition to restrictions against Russia’s banking and energy sectors.
belsat.eu
