NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels will meet with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba. There will also be a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission.
It is noted that the meeting will take place at the headquarters of the alliance on Monday, January 10. Following the meeting and the meeting of the commission, a press conference is scheduled.
On the eve of the visit, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that his trip was “part of diplomatic efforts to curb Russian aggression.”
Kuleba’s visit to Brussels is taking place against the backdrop of a meeting between Russia and the United States scheduled for January 10 in the format of a strategic dialogue at the level of representatives of the foreign ministries. 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.
Earlier, on January 9, Stoltenberg announced the existence of the possibility of a political solution to the situation around Ukraine and taking into account “Russia’s concerns.” At the same time, he pointed to the unacceptability of Russia’s demands to exclude Ukraine from joining NATO. This condition does not correspond to the “basic principles” of the alliance, Stoltenberg is convinced.
On the same day, a Russian delegation arrived in Geneva to participate in talks with the United States on security guarantees. The interdepartmental delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. On the part of the Russian diplomatic service, it is headed by Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Ryabkov. American diplomacy will be represented by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
Following the preliminary meeting, Sherman stated that sovereign nations have the right to choose their own alliances. Ryabkov, in turn, called the conversation with the American representatives amazing, but at the same time difficult and businesslike.
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. Also, Russia and NATO commit themselves not to create conditions that could be regarded as a threat by the other side.
The Russian side has repeatedly denied statements by Western politicians about an allegedly planned “invasion” of Ukraine. The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov pointed out that such messages are “empty, groundless escalation of tension.”
Also in Moscow, they criticized discussions about the supply of weapons to Ukraine. In November, Peskov stressed that NATO should stop provocative activities near the borders of the Russian Federation, and also stop “pumping up Ukraine with modern weapons.” He added that the West is artificially whipping up hysteria.
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.
