Russia envoy: Moscow may up the ante if West ignores demands

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — A senior Russian diplomat says that Moscow may take unspecified new measures to ensure its security if the U.S. and its allies continue to take provocative action and ignore its demand for guarantees precluding NATO’s expansion to Ukraine. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused Western allies of continuously pushing the envelope in relations with Russia. He warned Saturday that Russia could also up the ante if the West doesn’t treat its demands seriously. Ryabkov’s statement in an interview with the Interfax news agency came a day after Moscow submitted draft security demands that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet countries and roll back its military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.