NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday, February 8, in an interview with the Serbian channel Vesti, said that one of the goals of the alliance is to find a political solution to the conflict with Russia.
According to him, the North Atlantic Alliance is observing how “Russian troops are increasingly accumulating on the border” with Ukraine, but “it is not too late to keep the peace.” Stoltenberg stressed that NATO “is serious about finding a political solution.”
“We have submitted concrete proposals to Russia in writing, stating that we are ready to discuss arms control, military transparency, missiles and many other issues. We invited Russia to meet [в формате] Russia-NATO Council, where we would sit down and listen to Russian concerns and find a political solution to the conflict that arose due to the buildup of Russian military forces, ”the Serbian publication Danas quotes the Secretary General.
Stoltenberg stressed that the purpose of the alliance is to “preserve peace and protect its members.”
“I work with many generals, and in my experience, they understand very well the importance of preventing war, because they know how terrible and destructive a military conflict will be. This is the reason why NATO is a political military alliance that is always looking for a political solution,” he said.
At the same time, answering a journalist’s question about the existence of a signed document on non-expansion of NATO to the East, the Secretary General of the alliance noted that it “has never been signed.” Stoltenberg drew attention to the fact that the doors of the organization are open to all European countries that meet NATO standards.
Earlier in the day, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said the EU believes Russia is not seeking to take over Ukraine, but is only pressuring it to revise Europe’s security architecture.
On February 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that European countries could be drawn into a military conflict if Ukraine, being accepted into the North Atlantic Alliance, attacks Crimea.
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft agreements between Russia, the United States and NATO on security guarantees. The document assumes, in particular, non-expansion of NATO to the east, withdrawal of the alliance’s weapons to the positions of 1997, as well as non-deployment of strike weapons near Russian borders.
Negotiations on security guarantees were held in three stages in January. On January 10, a meeting of the Russian and US delegations took place in Geneva. On January 12, a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council was held in Brussels, and on January 13, consultations ended at the Vienna site of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Vladimir Putin said on February 1 that the United States and NATO, in their responses to Russian proposals for security guarantees, ignored Moscow’s fundamental demands. The head of state clarified that Moscow did not see an adequate response to key requirements.
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.
