The United States and Russia remain open for further dialogue on addressing the increasing tension on the Ukrainian border, but Britain warned of possible cyber-attacks from Moscow.
Russia claimed on Thursday that the United States was unwilling to address its proposals for reshaping its post-Cold War security arrangements in Europe, according to Washington's written response submitted on Wednesday.
Russia massed around 100,000 troops near the Ukraine border, prompting Western countries to be concerned about a possible invasion, while the U.S. pledges defense support to Kyiv.
According to Russian spokesperson Dmitry Pescov, Moscow will further review the response of the US and NATO and "won't rush" with its conclusions, per CNN.
The United States and NATO's statements labeling Russia's key demands as unacceptable did not encourage much optimism. However, the reaction of the Kremlin shows that it keeps the doors to diplomacy open, and it was not rejecting the answers of Washington and its European allies, per Reuters.
Meanwhile, Washington hopes Moscow will review the responses and resume their negotiations.
US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said in a media briefing that the United States and its Western allies are "unified" in pursuing diplomacy to address the issues, and they are prepared to take necessary measures depending on Russia's actions.
"But we are also unified in our resolve that if Moscow rejects our offer of dialogue, the costs must be swift and severe," Nuland said.
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Neither US or Russia Would Give In
The easiest approach to de-escalate tensions, according to Russia's foreign ministry, is for NATO to withdraw its forces from eastern Europe, but it also sought to address concerns of an invasion. Officials from the United States said President Vladimir Putin has not yet chosen whether or not to invade.
Russia stated its demands in December, which include halting further NATO expansion, rejecting Ukraine's membership, and withdrawing the alliance's military forces and hardware from member countries in eastern Europe.
The U.S. and NATO both had already rejected those demands while expressing willingness to engage on issues such as arms control, confidence-building measures, and limits on the size and scope of military exercises.
Britain Warns of Massive Cyberattacks
Meanwhile, Britain issued a warning on Friday on possible cyberattacks from Russia as Western nations fear that Kremlin will move its forces to occupy a part of Ukraine, heightening tensions in the region.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in Britain warned major organizations in the United Kingdom to strengthen their cyber security capabilities following the malicious attacks in Ukraine, per Reuters.
According to Paul Chichester, NCSC director of operations, their organization has noticed "a pattern of malicious Russian behavior on the internet for several years.
Earlier this month, Ukraine suffered from a massive cyberattack that downed around 70 of its government websites. The attackers posted a message on the hacked sites that said Ukrainians should "be afraid and expect the worst." Authorities alleged that Moscow was behind the incident, according to a report by NBC News.
British intelligence says that Russia remains the biggest immediate threat to the West. However, it also pointed out that the long-term dominance of China in terms of technology poses a much bigger threat.
A study made by the Belfer Center at Harvard's Kennedy School in 2020 identified the nations of the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China as the world's top cyber offensive powers.
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