The United States has given Moscow its written response aimed at deterring a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced.
The response was delivered in person to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan.
The written document intended to address concerns Moscow has publicly released and outlined areas where the US has said it sees potential for progress with Russia - arms control, transparency and stability, the top US diplomat told reporters at the State Department.
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Mr Blinken said the US response to Russia "sets out a serious diplomatic path forward should Russia choose it," telling reporters on Wednesday (US eastern time) that he expects to have a follow-up discussion with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the coming days now that the document has been received in Moscow.
"The document we've delivered includes concerns of the United States and our allies and partners about Russia's actions that undermine security, a principled and pragmatic evaluation of the concerns that Russia has raised, and our own proposals for areas where we may be able to find common ground," Mr Blinken said.
Mr Blinken declined to detail specifics presented to Moscow, but he said the US response reiterated what the US and NATO have said publicly - that they will uphold NATO's "open-door policy," rejecting Moscow's demands that NATO commit to never admitting Ukraine.
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"There will be no change," Mr Blinken said of US and NATO support of the alliance's open-door policy.
"We make clear that there are core principles that we are committed to uphold and defend, including Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the right of states to choose their own security arrangements and alliances," he added.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Tuesday that the US had consulted closely with allies and partners, including Ukraine, in crafting the response, saying at a State Department briefing.
"There will be no surprises. There will be no surprises for NATO. There will be no surprises for our European allies. There will be no surprises for our Ukrainian partners."
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NATO is sending its own written response to Moscow. Ukraine also received a copy of the US proposals.
Meanwhile, the top Ukraine diplomat in Australia has told Today he believe an attack is not imminent.
Charge d'affaires Volodymyr Shalkivskyi told Today that he believes a diplomatic solution will be found.
"The negotiations still continue. And we are confident that there is a way out of this situation, there is a way to de-escalate and move forward."
Olympics may affect invasion plan
A senior US official has suggested that the Winter Olympics beginning next week in China could affect Russian President Vladimir Putin's calculations over a possible invasion of Ukraine.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Wednesday that the Winter Olympics in Beijing could impact Mr Putin's thinking about potential military action, noting at a virtual European think tank event Wednesday that she thinks Chinese President Xi Jinping "would not be ecstatic if Putin chose that moment to invade Ukraine."
The Beijing Olympics kick off at the beginning of February and Mr Putin plans to be there, Ms Sherman added.
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