Russian and British leaders have rarely made phone calls to debate the situation in Ukraine Putin has tried to prevent NATO from continuing its eastward expansion

Foreign media said that Russian President Putin told British Prime Minister Johnson on the 13th that Moscow will insist on the West to guarantee that NATO will not expand to Ukraine.

Russia's recent military buildup near Ukraine has raised concerns in Ukraine and the West about Russia's "invasion" of Ukraine, the Associated Press moscow reported on Dec. 13. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Putin last week that if Moscow attacked its neighbors, there would be "serious consequences."

Putin denied plans to launch an attack but urged Western leaders to make legal commitments to ensure that NATO would not expand into Ukraine.

The report pointed out that in the call with Johnson on the 13th, Putin reiterated Moscow's concern about NATO's active military "exploration" of Ukrainian territory, saying that this "poses a direct threat to Russia's security."

Moscow is annoyed by NATO's joint exercises with Ukrainian troops and warns that NATO's expansion into Ukraine will be Russia's "red line."

In a phone call with Johnson on the 13th, Putin stressed the need to immediately start negotiations to reach clear international legal agreements that would rule out the possibility of NATO continuing eastward expansion and the deployment of weapons threatening Russia in neighboring countries led by Ukraine.

Putin said Russia would soon submit a draft document outlining the demands.

Johnson followed Biden and other Western leaders in warning Moscow not to attack its neighbors.

Johnson's office said he "expressed Britain's deep concern about the build-up of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border and reiterated the importance of easing tensions through diplomatic channels and finding a lasting solution".

A statement from Johnson's office noted that the British prime minister "underscored Britain's commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty and warned that any destabilizing action would be a strategic mistake with significant consequences".

Johnson "recognizes the importance of dialogue on international and regional security issues," the statement added.

According to the Russian news agency Moscow reported on December 13, Russian President Putin told British Prime Minister Johnson that it is necessary to hold negotiations on NATO's guarantee of not expanding eastward as soon as possible.

In a press release posted on its website, the Kremlin said that "Putin said that negotiations must begin as soon as possible in order to formulate a clear international legal agreement to prevent further eastward expansion of NATO and the deployment of weapons threatening Russia in Russia's neighbors such as Ukraine."

According to the report, the leaders of the two countries agreed to continue to discuss the above issues through various channels.

The report stressed that Putin has repeatedly talked about nato's eastward expansion. For example, in a recent video conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden, Putin said NATO's push eastward and the deployment of offensive weapons in Ukraine touched Russia's red line. The Russian head of State noted that Russia very much wants to obtain credible legal guarantees to prevent the situation from continuing to develop as such.

In addition, according to Agence France-Presse London reported on December 13, British Prime Minister Johnson called on Russian President Putin to de-escalate the "tensions" in Ukraine on the 13th, and warned that military intervention would constitute a "strategic mistake" with serious consequences.

Downing Street noted in a communiqué that during the telephone talks between the two sides, the British prime minister expressed "deep concern about the build-up of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border and reiterated the importance of easing tensions through diplomatic channels and finding a lasting solution".

According to the report analysis, in view of the tension between britain and Russia in recent years, the contact between the leaders of the two countries is relatively rare.

The Kremlin communiqué noted that the British prime minister "expressed concern about the so-called massive movement of Russian troops". The Russian president noted that Ukraine's policies "broke the Minsk agreement" and that Ukraine "deliberately worsened the situation" by using "heavy weapons and attack drones" on its borders, which created a "direct threat to Russia's security."

Source: Reference News Network