'There will be no change': U.S. bats down Russian demands in Ukraine crisis

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that the U.S. made no concessions in its written response to Russia’s demand that NATO ban Ukraine from joining the powerful military alliance.

In a press briefing at the State Department, Blinken announced that, after consultation with U.S. allies and partners, including Ukraine, the formal response to the Kremlin’s security demands was delivered earlier that day to the Russian government.

The back-and-forth between Washington and Moscow represents the latest attempt to defuse the crisis, which was ignited in recent weeks as Russia amassed an estimated 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border.

Blinken said the written response to Russia would not be released to the public, but he told reporters that it “reiterates what we’ve said publicly for many weeks” regarding mounting tensions between Russia and Ukraine. He said the letter “sets out a diplomatic path forward, should Russia choose to use it.”

That path forward, Blinken said, did not include concessions on the Kremlin’s primary demands, including the withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe and the guarantee that Ukraine and other former Soviet-bloc countries would be prohibited from joining the alliance. But he said the response from Washington outlines areas for potential negotiation with Russia, such as arms control and other reciprocal measures to increase transparency in the region.

“There is no change, there will be no change,” Blinken said when asked whether the formal response delivered to Moscow includes any alteration to NATO’s “open door policy,” which states that membership in the alliance is open to any European country that is in a position to “contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area.”

Blinken clarified that decisions regarding NATO’s admission policy are made by its members “as an alliance, not the U.S. unilaterally.” But, he said, “from our perspective, I can’t be more clear: NATO’s door is open, remains open, and that is our commitment.”

In the past, Ukraine has pressed for membership in NATO, which already includes ex-Soviet countries like those in the Baltic region. Such a move would add to the risk of a military conflict between NATO countries and Russia, which invaded Ukraine and annexed Crimea in 2014. But the alliance has no plans to add Ukraine soon.

On Wednesday, Blinken also noted that, in addition to the U.S. response, NATO plans to deliver to Moscow its own paper outlining proposals and concerns about collective security in Europe.

Blinken said he expects to discuss next steps with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the coming days, after the Kremlin has had a chance to read the U.S. response.

“Right now the document is with them and the ball is in their court,” Blinken said.

Blinken reiterated that while it would be preferable to resolve the dispute peacefully, the U.S. and its allies are preparing for the possibility of renewed aggression by Russia. He pointed to the Monday announcement by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that 8,500 U.S. troops had been placed on “heightened alert” to assist with defending NATO allies. Blinken also noted that three deliveries of U.S. military assistance have already arrived in Kyiv this week, with more deliveries expected in the coming days.

During the press briefing, the secretary was asked about President Biden’s comments on Tuesday that he would consider personally sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin if he authorizes an attack on Ukraine.

“Everything is on the table,” Blinken said.