Putin to mull options if West refuses guarantees that NATO won't expand into Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday he would ponder a slew of options if the West fails to meet his push for security guarantees precluding NATO's expansion to Ukraine.

Earlier this month, Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries and roll back its military deployments in central and eastern Europe.

Putin has urged the West to move quickly to meet the demands, warning that Moscow will have to take "adequate military-technical measures" if the West continues its "aggressive" course "on the threshold of our home."

Asked to specify what Moscow's response could be, he said in comments aired by Russian state TV on Sunday that "it could be diverse," adding without elaboration that "it will depend on what proposals our military experts submit to me."

The United States and its allies have refused to offer Russia the kind of guarantee on Ukraine that Putin wants, citing NATO's principle that membership is open to any qualifying country. They agreed. however, to launch security talks with Russia next month to discuss its concerns.

Putin said the talks with the U.S. will be held in Geneva. In parallel, negotiations are also set to be held between Russia and NATO, and broader discussions are expected under the aegis of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

'We have nowhere to retreat'

In remarks broadcast on Sunday, Putin said that Russia submitted the demands in the hope of a constructive answer from the West.

"We didn't do it just to see it blocked ... but for the purpose of reaching a negotiated diplomatic result that would be fixed in legally binding documents," hesaid.

Putin reaffirmed that NATO membership for Ukraine or the deployment of alliance weapons there is a red line for Moscow that it wouldn't allow the West to cross.

"We have nowhere to retreat," he said, adding that NATO could deploy missiles in Ukraine that would take just four or five minutes to reach Moscow. "They have pushed us to a line that we can't cross. They have taken it to the point where we simply must tell them; 'Stop!'"

Putinvoiced concern that the U.S. and its allies could try to drag out the security talks and use them as a cover to pursue a military buildup near Russia.

He noted that Russia published its security demands to make them known to the public and raise the pressure on the U.S. and its allies to negotiate a security deal.

WATCH|Putin accuses NATO of aggressive actions as tensions rise over Ukraine:

Putin urges West to ensure Ukraine won't join NATO

3 years ago

Duration 2:00

Russian President Vladimir Putin used portions of an annual marathon news conference to pressure Western countries into accepting his demands for security guarantees including making sure Ukraine won't be allowed to join NATO.

"We have just one goal to reach agreements that would ensure the security of Russia and its citizens now and in a long-term perspective," he said.

The Kremlin presented its security demand amid the tensions over a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine in recent weeks that has fuelled Western fears of a possible invasion. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Putin in a video call earlier this month that Russia will face "severe consequences" if it attacks Ukraine.

Russia test-fires Zircon missiles

Putin's spokesperson,Dmitry Peskov, said in remarks broadcast on Sunday that NATO's expansion to Ukraine or other ex-Soviet nations is "a matter of life or death for us."

He noted that Friday's test-firing of Russia's Zircon hypersonic missiles would help make Russia's push for security guarantees "more convincing."

Friday's launches were the latest in a series of tests of Zircon, which Putin said is capable of flying at nine times the speed of sound to a range of more than 1,000 kilometres.

They marked the first time Zircon missiles were launched in a salvo, indicating the completion of tests before the new missile enters service with the Russian navy next year and arms its cruisers, frigates and submarines.

Peskov on Sunday also pointed toPutin's earlier warning that a Ukrainian offensive against the rebel-held territories would entail "grave consequences" for Ukraine's statehood, adding that "they know it well in Kyiv and they know it well in Washington."

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and shortly after threw its support behind a separatist rebellion in the country's east. Over more than seven years, the fighting has killed more than14,000 people and devastated Ukraine's industrial heartland, known as the Donbas.