From left to right: US Deputy Secretary of State Mỹ Wendy Sherman, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko and Russian Deputy Minister of Defence Alexander Fomin at a meeting of the NATO Russia Council in Brussels, Belgium on January 12, 2022. Photo: AFP/VNA

Mr. Lavrov said Russia, through the Foreign Ministry, is sending an official request to NATO and the OSCE, urging them to explain how they intend to implement their commitment not to strengthen their security at the expense of the security of others. He added NATO and the OSCE should explain why if they do not intend to do so, stressing that this will be a key question in determining Russia’s future proposals, which will be reported to the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has demanded NATO pull back troops and weapons from eastern Europe and bar its neighbour Ukraine from ever joining. Washington and its NATO allies reject that position but say they are ready to discuss other topics such as arms control and confidence-building measures.