Friday, March 29

NATO: Russia Invited for New Consultations on Ukraine

NATO has invited Russia to new talks about Ukraine’s tensions, among other things. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the military alliance is also willing to discuss Russia’s military exercises and nuclear policy.

 

The NATO countries and Russia met last week for the first time in more than two years in their so-called NATO-Russia Council. The consultations yielded little, but Stoltenberg immediately made it clear that he wanted to continue the conversation. As long as there is talk about Ukraine, many member states hope there will be no fighting. However, Russia did not immediately respond to the suggestion to continue talks.

Stoltenberg has invited Russia and NATO countries to “a series of meetings” of the council, he said, visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. According to the NATO chief, for example, to discuss mutual relations, Europe’s security and concrete proposals for greater openness and better arms control. “But we will not compromise on our core principles, such as the right of each country to choose its own path and NATO’s ability to protect all allies.”

The Danish NATO chief again asked Russia to restore diplomatic contacts with the alliance. They were broken last fall. NATO denied Russian diplomats access to the headquarters in Brussels for spying. Russia then withdrew its ambassador and closed the NATO office in Moscow.

NATO fears that Russia is gearing up for an attack on Ukraine, which has turned to the West recently. Russia is demanding, among other things, that NATO withdraw from Eastern Europe and promises that Ukraine, among others, will never join the alliance.

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