– An attack on Ukraine will be very serious.
This is the victory of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after the first meeting of the NATO-Russia Council since July 2019.
Stoltenberg sums up the meeting as follows:
– We had a very serious and direct conversation about the situation and the impact it has on NATO’s security.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine are tense.
Western countries have blamed Russia for deploying around 100,000 soldiers near Ukraine’s border, and the Russians claim plans for a possible invasion of the neighboring country this winter.
Russia has rejected this, pointing out that they are free to move their forces on their own territory.
BRUSSELS: Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin and Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko together with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during the NATO-Russia Council meeting in Brussels on Wednesday 12 January.
Photo: POOL / Reuters
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Do not substitute for the collar
At today’s meeting, Russia demanded not to expand NATO further east.
That demand strikes NATO.
– We will help Ukraine on the road to membership, Russia can not veto this, Stoltenberg said during the press conference after the meeting.
– Do you feel that an escalation of the conflict is more or less likely after NATO and the United States have stated that the “open-door” policy is not up for discussion?
– It is possible to move forward if Russia is willing to get involved in finding a political solution.
– We are open to discussing a number of issues with Russia. It includes balanced weapons control, and we see that these mechanisms have worked before.
– But we are not willing to compromise on one of the key principles in European security policy, which states that all countries have the right to choose their own path.
Stoltenberg refers, among other things, to Finland and Sweden, which do not apply for membership, but which nevertheless emphasize the importance of the countries themselves choosing which way they want to go.
During the meeting, NATO, for its part, put forward a demand to demilitarize the border area with Ukraine.
– The build-up of military forces around, for example, Ukraine is disturbing.
Russia is not ready to agree on new meetings on disarmament in Europe, Stoltenberg said, but NATO feels that there is a will for dialogue on arms control.
– The dialogue is difficult, but therefore important. We will try to find a diplomatic solution to this.
Budd on confrontation
During the press conference, Stoltenberg blamed Russia for this situation, because they broke the agreement banning
missile with medium range (and capable of carrying nuclear charge)
“data-term =” intermediate distance missiles “> intermediate distance missiles.
– That agreement has collapsed due to extensive Russian breaches of agreement. I know that it is possible to get agreements, but it is demanding.
When asked what guarantees NATO demands from Russia, Stoltenberg answers:
– Russia has forces in several countries such as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia without the approval of the various governments. One of our demands is that these forces be withdrawn.
NATO is ready to meet with Russia again to discuss concrete measures, and looks forward to Thursday’s meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
– NATO is willing to discuss concrete proposals, but we must also be aware that Russia will also face confrontation this time, Stoltenberg said after the meeting.
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