Russia demands ‘watertight’ guarantee against Nato expansion to Ukraine

A convoy of Russian armoured vehicles (AP)

Russia maintained a tough posture amid the tensions over its troop build-up near Ukraine, with a top diplomat warning that Moscow will accept nothing less but “watertight” US guarantees precluding Nato’s expansion to Ukraine.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation at the security talks with the US in Geneva last week, reaffirmed that Moscow has no intentions of invading Ukraine as the West fears, but said that receiving Western security guarantees is the categoric imperative for Moscow.