The meeting of the Russia-NATO Council showed signs of reduced tension.
On January 12, the NATO-Russia Council meeting concluded in Brussels after four hours of discussions. A statement issued by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg regarding the meeting's outcome indicated a reduction in tensions between the alliance and Russia.
Speaking at a press conference on the results of the NATO-Russia Council meeting after 2.5 years, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO member states believe in dialogue with Russia, despite serious disagreements on the situation in Ukraine and European security issues, and want to restore the work of diplomatic missions of the parties. According to him, the discussions were not easy, but useful.
Meanwhile, both the alliance's Secretary-General and the US First Undersecretary of State, Wendy Sherman, stated that NATO refuses to compromise on the admission of certain countries, including Ukraine, into the alliance. Stoltenberg emphasized: “All allies are united by the alliance’s core principle: each country is free to choose its own path. Only Ukraine and the 30 NATO members can decide when Kyiv is ready to become a member of the alliance. Russia has no veto power over Ukraine’s membership. The allies are ready to support Kyiv on its path to NATO membership.”
 |
| Meeting of the Russia-NATO Council (Source: rianovosti) |
However, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO had proposed to Moscow a series of consultations to discuss in detail the issues and disagreements, including agreeing on common and verifiable limits on missile weapons in Europe. NATO has also made it clear to Russia its desire to reopen the alliance's mission in Moscow and Russia's mission in Brussels.
For his part, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister A. Grushko stated that the meeting of the Russia-NATO Council was absolutely necessary, as it helped to better understand the positions of the parties. According to him, "the talks were quite frank, direct, in-depth, and rich, but at the same time revealed a large number of differences on fundamental issues." And one of the main issues is NATO's selective understanding of the principle of indivisibility of security.
Commenting on the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels, German political scientist Alexander Rahr noted: "One cannot expect feelings, significant changes in the position of either side. There are Russian demands, they are on the table, they are presented sharply and firmly.” According to him, “it seems that NATO understands them, is aware of the seriousness of Russia's position, but cannot afford to lose face and back down from its principles.”
Therefore, in essence, the conflict over Ukraine's accession to NATO remains. But the tone has changed considerably; the rhetoric in the dialogues, both in Brussels and Geneva, is no longer accusatory but pragmatic. Experts believe that "the Russian and NATO sides are ready to continue dialogue not with a high-pitched tone, but with a more normal tone." Russia has the opportunity to "make a new breakthrough" in its dialogue with the West.
This meeting of the Russia-NATO Council is the second in a series of talks on security guarantees. The first was held in Geneva between delegations from the Russian and US Foreign Ministries, and the third is scheduled for January 13th within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
