Blinken announces US has delivered written responses to Russia over Ukraine crisis

By Kylie Atwood and Jennifer Hansler, CNN

The United States has given Moscow its written proposals aimed at deterring a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday.

The response was delivered in person to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs by US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan. The written document intended to address concerns Moscow has publicly released and outlined areas where the US has said it sees potential for progress with Russia — arms control, transparency and stability, the top US diplomat told reporters at the State Department.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Tuesday that the US had consulted closely with allies and partners, including Ukraine, in crafting the response, saying at a State Department briefing “there will be no surprises. There will be no surprises for NATO. There will be no surprises for our European allies. There will be no surprises for our Ukrainian partners.”

Administration officials say the response was unlikely to characterize the likelihood of Ukraine joining NATO in the short term or show any room for negotiation on NATO’s open door policy — which is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s central grievance.

This story is breaking and will be updated

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