There should be no further expansion of NATO, if the opponents go against it, the consequences for them will be dire. On December 10, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Izvestia about this.
“NATO’s rampant expansion over the past decades has shown us that Western advances, Western promises, Western commitments without legal form are worth little. Soviet and then Russian leaders were repeatedly told, and at the most responsible levels, both by the United States and by European states, that further NATO expansion to the east would not take place, ”he said.
Ryabkov noted that the opposite development is being observed at the moment. NATO argues that each country has the right to independently determine the forms of ensuring its own security, including membership in military-political alliances.
He explained that such obligations are indeed written down, and not only in the documents of the alliance. However, Ryabkov stressed that freedom in joining unions cannot be absolute.
“It’s like in human society – the freedom of the individual ends where this freedom encroaches on the freedom of another. There should be a clear framework and mutual obligations, mutual responsibility. It is unacceptable to strengthen your own security at the expense of the security of another, ”he explained.
According to Ryabkov, NATO enlargement has long ago entered into a very sharp and deep contradiction with this very commitment. He noted that Russia will unswervingly draw the attention of opponents, both members of NATO and not members of the alliance, but striving to join there, to “the impossibility of combining both.”
“Therefore, there should be no further expansion of NATO. And attempts to present the matter in such a way that Russia does not have the right of veto here, there is no word – these are all attempts with unsuitable means. We will stand our ground, if opponents go against it, they will see that their security will not be strengthened. They will go against their own security interests, and the consequences for them will be dire, ”he concluded.
On December 8, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that NATO is beginning to crush Ukraine under itself, and stressed that for Moscow such actions are a “red line”. The presidential press secretary stressed that Russia does not threaten anyone, but only takes measures against the threat that spreads towards its borders.
It also became known that American leader Joe Biden, in response to Russia’s concern about NATO’s eastward movement, promised Putin to discuss this topic with his alliance colleagues. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov noted that Moscow’s concerns about NATO’s eastward expansion and issues related to the provision of the necessary security guarantees will be discussed in the group on strategic stability.
Earlier, on November 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused NATO of destroying the dialogue mechanism. According to him, the alliance is showing a markedly confrontational attitude towards the Russian Federation, “persistently” bringing its military infrastructure closer to the Russian borders.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
