Russia and NATO must take urgent action to restore equal security. This statement was made by the Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov on Thursday, December 30.
“Urgent action is needed. The principle of equal and indivisible security must be restored, ”he wrote in an article for Foreign Policy magazine.
Antonov believes that this can only be achieved through long-term guarantees. He also called the rapprochement between Ukraine and the alliance a threat to the Russian Federation.
“No one should have any doubts about the determination of the Russian Federation to defend its security,” the Russian ambassador said.
He noted that the security guarantees offered by Moscow do not infringe on the interests of the United States and its allies and recalled that Russia has long and consistently advocated a relaxation of tensions in Europe.
On December 29, during a telephone briefing for journalists, a representative of the US administration said that the United States had prepared plans to strengthen NATO and allies in case the situation around Ukraine deteriorated further. The United States intends to discuss with Russia European security, the settlement of the situation in Ukraine in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and in the NATO-Russia Council – a draft treaty with the alliance, he added.
Against the background of tensions around Ukraine, Russia and the United States are planning to hold a meeting in the format of a strategic dialogue at the level of representatives of the Foreign Ministry on January 10. A meeting of the Russia-NATO Council is scheduled for January 12, and a multilateral meeting at the OSCE site is to take place a day later.
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft agreements between Russia and the United States and NATO on security guarantees. It follows from the documents that the alliance should refuse to conduct any military activity on the territory of Ukraine and other states of Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia.
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.
