Kremlin welcomes US readiness to discuss NATO's eastern non-expansion
The Kremlin has welcomed a statement by Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, that the United States considers Russia's concerns about NATO expansion to be justified.
Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency Interfax, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Peskov said that Russia welcomes the fact that Washington "understands" its negative stance on NATO's eastward expansion.
Quote from Peskov: "President Putin consistently conveys to foreign officials, including American representatives, our position on the inadmissibility of NATO's expansion to the east from the standpoint of Russia's strategic interests. We are glad that the president's explanations are being understood, including in Washington." [N.B. Ukrainska Pravda does not recognise Putin as president – ed.]
Details: Peskov added that this understanding by the US is "very pleasing" to Russia in light of the mediating role Washington continues to play.
Meanwhile, he noted that it is preferable to discuss this issue during a closed-door interaction. Peskov agreed that Kellogg's recent statements could be considered the result of such confidential negotiations.
Background:
In an interview with ABC News, Kellogg stated that the United States considers Russia's concerns about NATO expansion fair and is ready to discuss the matter.
"And they're not just talking Ukraine – they're talking the country of Georgia, they're talking Moldova, they're talking, obviously, Ukraine," Kellogg noted. "And we're saying 'Okay, comprehensively, you know, we can stop the expansion of NATO coming close to your border'. That's security concerns from them."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously stated that Kyiv must be present at the NATO summit in The Hague, and the absence of an invitation would appear as "a victory for Putin over NATO".
Earlier, it was reported that because of Trump, NATO is preparing a mini-declaration for the summit in The Hague that will likely not mention Ukraine.
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