We may include advertisements from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. The Russian President said that the West developed a form of euphoria after the end of the Cold War, which was seen as a victory and has led to poor policy choices. Putin said Russia would respond to Western aggression and that the eastward expansion of NATO and the abandonment of missile treaties had resulted in tensions.
He said to senior military officials on Tuesday: Why did NATO expand NATO and renounce missile defence treaties? The tensions in Europe are being blamed for what is happening now. Russia had demanded that NATO wouldn't accept Ukraine as a member of the military alliance and that no troops or weapons would be deployed there. As tensions with the eastern nation surge, a proposed Russia-US security treaty and security agreement between Russia and NATO was drafted.
The extensive build-up of Russian troops close to the Ukrainian border has sparked fears of a possible invasion. On Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz expressed his concern about the troop build up in a phone call to Putin. The Russian President has denied he plans to invade Ukraine, but he is seeking legal guarantees about NATO expansion and weapons deployment in the former Soviet republic. Putin spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron and Scholtz about diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis as well as the proposed security agreements, according to the Kremlin. READ MORE: Joe Biden shouts at reporters in a tense Covid briefing. I am not joking about this! Putin said he hoped diplomatic efforts would be successful but he was very concerned about the possibility of US missiles being placed in Poland and Romania. He said: "We are extremely concerned that elements of the US global missile defence system are being deployed next to Russia. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu expressed his concern that the United States had deployed 8,000 troops near Russian borders and launched flights by strategic bomber planes close to Russia, along with NATO allies. Karen Donfried, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, told reporters that a specific date would be agreed with Russia to begin talks to ease tensions.