MOSCOW. Feb 17 (Interfax) - The United States cannot ignore and will have to react to the arguments set out in the Russian reply to Washington regarding security guarantees, Federation Council deputy speaker Konstantin Kosachyov said.
"Well, everything is utterly specific and well-argued. You definitely could not get it wrong, ignore or drag out either, I hope. There is no promised 'distracting' war and you cannot promise one forever. It means [the U.S.] will have to reply, and do so not in the megaphone format. The Ukrainians have already had enough of it as well," Kosachyov wrote on Facebook, commenting on Moscow's reply to Washington.
In his view, the general conclusion from this document is this: there is still no constructive answer to the basic elements of the Russian draft of a Treaty with the U.S. regarding security guarantees.
"And if this readiness to agree firm guarantees of providing our security never comes to pass, Russia will have to react, not least by way of implementing measures of a military-technical nature," Kosachyov said.
Describing Russia's dialogue with the U.S. on security guarantees as a "lawyer talking to a propagandist," he said: "Of course, this is better than a deaf person talking to a mute one, as was recently the case with one foreign visitor, but still not quite what we would like. It is why our side, again, prefers a public conversation: it is an indicator of absolute confidence in our own position and the desire to avoid misrepresentations of this position for the public."
The talks are being held "not in a calm diplomatic atmosphere but in a virtual hysterical climate artificially generated by Western politicians and media precisely to avoid a serious discussion of the fundamental Russian initiatives," Kosachyov said.