Russia said on Friday it wanted a legally binding guarantee that NATO would give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, part of a wish list of security guarantees it wants to negotiate with the West.
The
demands contain elements - such as an effective Russian veto on NATO membership for Ukraine - that the West has already ruled out.
Others would require the withdrawal of multinational NATO battalions from Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
In Washington, a senior administration official said the United States was prepared to discuss the proposals but added: "That said, there are some things in those documents that the Russians know are unacceptable."
The official said Washington would respond some time next week with more concrete proposals on the format of any talks.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Washington would talk to its allies. "We will not compromise the key principles on which European security is built, including that all countries have the right to decide their own future and foreign policy, free from outside interference," she said.
"Russia is not a member of NATO and doesn't decide on matters related to NATO," Polish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lukasz Jasina said.
Presenting Moscow's demands, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia and the West must start from a clean sheet in rebuilding relations.
"The line pursued by the United States and NATO over recent years to aggressively escalate the security situation is absolutely unacceptable and extremely dangerous," he told reporters.
Ryabkov said Russia was not willing to put up with the current situation any longer, and urged Washington to come up with a constructive response fast.
The publication of these demands, which is unusual in international diplomacy, comes at a time when the West is accusing Moscow of preparing to invade Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin denies any intent to attack.
With files from Reuters and AP
