Russia published security proposals to NATO and the United States on Friday and called for urgent talks with Washington as tensions between Moscow and Western capitals soar over the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia says that NATO must not allow any new members to join the US military alliance, and that no new military bases must be established in ex-Soviet countries, while the far-reaching proposals are vital for its security.
After the publication of the drafts, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia was ready to hold urgent security talks with the United States as early as Saturday.
He said we are ready to go for talks with the US on Saturday, even tomorrow -- literally tomorrow - in a third country. The publication of the draft agreements is an unusual step in international diplomacy, especially over the war in eastern Ukraine.
The West accused Moscow of preparing an imminent invasion, claiming Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops along Ukraine's borders.
Russian President Vladimir Putin denies plans for an attack and blames NATO for the rise in tensions, demanding legal guarantees that the alliance won't expand eastwards.
Russia said in a document addressed to NATO that Moscow and the alliance should work to prevent incidents in the Baltics and the Black Sea, as well as establish a telephone hotline for emergency contacts. It also said that NATO members should commit themselves to not further enlargement of the group.
The draft of the Security Treaty addressed to the United States said Washington should block the membership of any former Soviet country.
Russia demands that NATO withdraw its commitment to hand membership to ex-Soviet Georgia and Ukraine.
Russia also stated in the draft document that the United States should not establish military bases in ex-Soviet states, including in Central Asia.
Western countries have discussed possible co-ordinated sanctions against Moscow should Putin launch an attack on Ukraine.
After the ouster of a pro-Kremlin president in the east of the country, a conflict in the east of the country has left more than 13,000 people dead since 2014.
US President Joe Biden warned Putin of sanctions like he had never seen if an offensive was launched.
European Union leaders urged Moscow this week to halt its military build-up and return to talks led by France and Germany.
The United States and European countries have made clear on numerous occasions that Kiev's membership in NATO is not on the cards, much to Ukraine's annoyance.
Washington helps train Ukrainian forces and has committed more than $2.5 billion to bolster a military that crumbled in 2014 after Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
A loyal servant of the Soviet Union, Putin was dismayed when it fell apart, once calling the collapse the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century.