Pyotr Tolstoy: Russia wants security guarantees not only for itself but also for all CSTO States

“Regardless of the OSCE PA session agenda, there will be an organized and planned hysteria about the Russian Federation and the situation around Ukraine,” Pyotr Tolstoy, deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, head of the delegation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said during the Coordination Meeting of Heads of Parliamentary Delegations of the CSTO Member States to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
“We can see what is happening now in the Western press, how every day new dates of Russia’s attack on Ukraine are published: it is quite expected that these issues will be voiced in a hysterical manner at the Assembly as well,” said the deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
“Let me say that the Russian Federation still maintains its position; we are waiting for a response to our proposals on security guarantees, these proposals are on the table and must be discussed. As for all the speculation about an attack on Ukraine, the Russian Federation has the right to conduct any troop movements on its territory. Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the President of the Russian Federation have repeatedly said that these movements do not threaten anyone,” stressed the deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma.
Pyotr Tolstoy noted that he cannot encourage parliamentarians to participate in discussions on this issue during the Assembly, but stressed, “I want to make the position of the Russian Federation clear to everyone: we are not going to take any aggressive actions against anyone. Of course, we will protect our compatriots if they are attacked militarily, but we will not in any way reconsider the security situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border. As for the security guarantees, Russia wants them not only for itself, but also for all the CSTO States, so in a sense it is our common cause.”
Pyotr Tolstoy expressed hope that the heads of parliamentary delegations of the CSTO Member States to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will take these considerations into account during the meeting of the Assembly, where “we will have to hear much of what is being written in newspapers. Unfortunately, this is the main source of information for Western parliamentarians today,” stressed Pyotr Tolstoy.