Russia warns of 'retaliatory measures' if security demands are rejected

Amid ongoing efforts to resolve tensions surrounding Ukraine diplomatically, Russia's top diplomat said on Wednesday that Moscow would take "necessary retaliatory measures" if its security demands are not met.

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said to lawmakers, "If the West continues its aggressive course, Moscow will take the necessary retaliatory measures."

"We won't allow our proposals to be drowned in endless discussions," Lavrov added, indicating that Russia did not have unlimited patience in the current situation.

Russia has demanded that the U.S. and NATO deny Ukraine membership into the alliance and that NATO and Ukraine roll back military deployments, among other guarantees.

Tensions have escalated in recent weeks, with Western countries warning that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent. On Saturday, the United Kingdom said it had received information indicating that Moscow was making plans to "install a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv."

Moscow has denied having plans to invade Ukraine, despite having amassed at least 100,000 troops near its border.

Lavrov mocked the concerns of the West, according to the AP, saying, "Our Western colleagues have driven themselves up into a militarist frenzy."

"The Ukrainian elite itself has grown a bit scared by the Western scare," he added.

Both NATO and the U.S. have committed to finding a resolution through diplomacy, with both NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and President Biden saying this week that they are not sending military forces to Ukraine.

"NATO will not deploy NATO combat troops to Ukraine," the NATO head said on Tuesday. "But we need to be sure that there is no misunderstanding about our readiness, our commitment to protect and defend all allies, especially in the eastern part of the alliance."