“When it comes to NATO, we have been very clear that for us, NATO’s “open door” means an open door. That is important, and it is something for us that is non-negotiable,” said the US Department Spokesperson Ned Price at a press briefing on Thursday.

Asked by a reporter whether the United States would refuse NATO enlargement to offer peace to Russia, the Spokesperson said Russia had started the war in Ukraine before responding to Washington’s proposal.

“Before Vladimir Putin chose to wage this war, we made very clear that we were prepared to discuss some of the purported concerns that Russia had put on the table. And there were concrete steps, or at least there were concrete discussions, that we thought were in the offing that would advance the security of the transatlantic community, that is to say, the United States and our European allies and partners, as well as to address some of the stated concerns of Moscow. Of course, Russia rejected that. And, if you might recall, they went to war on February 24th before even responding to the written proposal that we had put forward. When it comes to NATO, Said, we have been very clear that for us, NATO’s “open door” means an open door. That is important, and it is something for us that is non-negotiable,” he stated.