The United States is prepared to hold talks with Russia on a reciprocal agreement over the deployment of ground-launched missiles or combat forces in Ukraine, documents published by the Spanish newspaper El Pais revealed as the Kremlin urged Washington to stop "whipping up tensions" in Europe.
The documents, which El Pais says are the responses from Washington and NATO to security demands recently made by Russia, were published on February 2 ahead of a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to discuss tensions over Moscow's troop build-up at the border with Ukraine that have raised fears of a possible invasion.
SEE ALSO: Putin To Consult With Johnson Over Ukraine After Accusing West Of Ignoring Russia's ConcernsThe documents purportedly set out the possibility of measures to limit military incidents and prove to Moscow that Tomahawk missiles are not installed in Romania and Poland, members of the alliance.
"NATO is a defensive Alliance and poses no threat to Russia," the document from Washington begins.
"We have always striven for peace, stability, and security in the Euro-Atlantic area, and a Europe whole, free, and at peace. These remain our goals and our abiding vision."
The documents were handed to the Kremlin last month amid a diplomatic push to ease tensions between Moscow and the West over Russia's buildup of more than 100,000 troops in areas around the border with Ukraine.
Russia denies that it is planning to invade its Western neighbor but said it could take unspecified military action unless its security demands are met.
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Russia has demanded legally binding guarantees from the United States and NATO that Ukraine will never join the bloc, that it will halt the deployment of weapons systems near Russian borders, and that its forces will be rolled back from Eastern Europe.
El Pais did not say how it obtained the documents, while Reuters quoted NATO as saying it could not comment on the information published by the Spanish newspaper.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov also declined to comment.
"We didn’t make anything public," he said. "I don’t want to comment on that."
SEE ALSO: Tracking Down Advanced Russian Weaponry In The Eastern Ukraine Conflict ZonePutin on February 1 made his first significant public remarks in weeks on the crisis.
The Kremlin is "carefully analyzing the written responses received from the United States and NATO," Putin said, but added that it was "already clear that fundamental Russian concerns ended up being ignored."
"We did not see adequate consideration of our three key demands regarding the prevention of NATO expansion, the refusal to deploy strike facilities near Russia's borders, and the return of the bloc's military infrastructure in Europe to the state in 1997," Putin said.
At the same time Putin said: "I hope that we will eventually find a solution, although we realize that it's not going to be easy."
Peskov on February 2 said Russia had plans in place to counter possible U.S. sanctions and to minimize their consequences, and urged the White House to stop "whipping up tensions" in Europe.
'Room For Diplomacy'
Putin and Johnson were meant to talk on February 1, but Johnson had to postpone due to domestic political problems.
Ahead of the talks, a senior Russian official at the United Nations slammed British diplomacy, calling it "worthless."
"There is always room for diplomacy, but frankly, we don't trust British diplomacy," Dmitry Polyanskiy, deputy ambassador to the UN told Sky News in an interview.
"I think in recent years British diplomacy has shown that it is absolutely worthless," he added.
"I really don't want to offend anybody, especially my good friends, British diplomats, but really, the results are nothing to boast about."
Johnson visited Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on February 1. He noted that the Russian troop buildup near Ukraine's border was "perhaps the biggest demonstration of hostility toward Ukraine in our lifetimes.”
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Johnson warned that Britain has a package of sanctions and other measures ready to go “the moment the first Russian toe cap crosses further into Ukrainian territory.”
He also said Western countries "are keen to engage in dialogue," but added that "we have the sanctions ready.” He again urged Russia to step back and choose a path of diplomacy, saying he believes that is still possible.
In a February 1 phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the "immediate" de-escalation and withdrawal of troops by Russia from areas near Ukraine's borders.
Blinken further reiterated Washington's commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the right of all countries to determine their own foreign policy and alliances, the State Department said in a statement.
Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 and has been backing separatists in the Donbas who have been engaged in a military confrontation with Ukrainian government forces that has killed more than 13,200 people over the past eight years.
Blinken “emphasized that further invasion of Ukraine by Russia would be met with swift and severe consequences and urged Russia to pursue a diplomatic path," the statement said.
Lavrov said he told Blinken that Russia would continue insisting on its demands, including that the West stick to its security "obligations," and added, "Blinken agreed that there is subject for further discussion."