The meeting was held with an open agenda, which gave all delegations the opportunity to raise issues they were interested in.

The main focus of discussions was on military aspects of the security situation in Europe. We presented our basic assessments of NATO's enhanced forward presence on the "eastern flank". We pointed out that it weakens regional stability, and does not correspond to real security needs. Every day, we receive information about new deployments of US and allied forces and assets, as well as military infrastructure along Russian borders, exercises, marches and other military preparations. We also voiced concerns about the continued creation of the European segment of the US missile defense system, which undermines strategic stability.

All these shape new reality in military area, which we can not ignore. A confrontational agenda is imposed on us, as NATO seeks to prove its relevance. It is a dead-end path, an attempt to create dividing lines in Europe, now by military means. This can revive the arms race, which is obviously not in the interest of the European nations. For our part, we will take all necessary measures to protect our legitimate security and defense interests.

Representatives of NATO countries have talked about the importance of modernizing the Vienna document on confidence-building and security measures and other arms control mechanisms. But they could not answer the question as to how this could be combined with a deterrence policy of Russia and the demonstration of military muscles near our borders. These are incompatible things. It is impossible to strengthen confidence-building measures unless the Alliance abandons its policy of domination by force. Nevertheless, even in these difficult conditions that were not created by us, we are ready to jointly search for ways for de-escalation, reducing risks of unintended military incidents.

NATO regularly claims – and today we were discussing this – that it is ready to move along this path. However, this requires to restore normal systemic working contacts between military and restart the mechanism of military dialogue and cooperation. As you know, the Russian Ministry of Defense made clear proposals in this regard, and they still remain on the negotiating table.

Following the agreements reached during the phone conversation between General Valery Gerasimov and General Petr Pavel on March 3, and in the spirit of transparency, we exchanged information on some aspects of military activities, as well as developments in the force posture. In addition to the information we have provided in the framework of the Vienna Document, we gave briefing regarding the deployment of two divisions in the Western Military District of the Russian Federation, as well as the Motorized Rifle Division in the Southern Military District. NATO countries provided an updated information on the enhanced forward presence on the "eastern flank".

I don't want to downplay the significance of such mutual exchange of information, but it is clear that exchange of briefings is not enough to improve security situation. Dialogue for the sake of dialogue will not yield results, unless we translate discussions into concrete actions and decisions. To create a proper context for a joint work on the restoration of arms control mechanisms it is imperative that NATO stops pumping the "eastern flank" with weapons which undermines the regional stability.

Concerning regional problems, we touched upon the situation in Afghanistan. The situation in the country remains a matter of common concern for all NRC members. We have stated that the security situation continues to deteriorate, drug production and trafficking continues to grow. NRC members have acknowledged that comprehensive international assistance to the Afghan government and the Afghan national security forces is key condition for stabilizing the situation. For our part, we confirmed our intention to assist Afghanistan in training its security forces by competent Russian agencies, to develop cooperation in trade, economic and humanitarian fields.

We also informed NATO about the regional consultations on Afghanistan. Their key task was to promote the process of national reconciliation in the country. Consultations with the participation of regional partners will be held in Moscow on April 14.

At the initiative of NATO, with two of its Allies being members of the Normandy format, we exchanged views on the implementation of the Minsk agreements. With reference to the OSCE SMM data, we drew attention to ceasefire violations by Ukrainian forces, the continued creeping offensive of the Ukrainian army in so-called "grey zones", the use of heavy weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements, and the presence of heavy weapons in the "security zone". NATO keeps silence and  does not apply pressure on the Ukrainian side. The Alliance  does not comment on the actual economic and transport blockade of Donbas, organized by nationalists. It continues to provide political and practical support to Kiev. Instructors from several NATO states continue to train Ukrainian forces at Yavoriv training camp and elsewhere. These forces are subsequently deployed to the so-called "anti-terrorist operation" zone.

We shared our ideas about ways to reinforce the OSCE SMM. We stressed the danger of the rampage of nationalists encouraged by the Ukrainian authorities. We called on the NRC members to put pressure on Kiev so that the Ukrainian authorities fully and unconditionally implement the Minsk agreements. Probably, the only common ground we have with NATO is the understanding that the Minsk agreements remain the only basis for a settlement. It is important to transform this understanding into concrete steps and actions.