NATO affirms it does not want to confront Russia

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg affirmed on January 14 that NATO does not seek confrontation with Russia and wants a more cooperative and constructive relationship with Russia.

However, the NATO chief also urged Russia to end its support for opposition forces in eastern Ukraine and use its influence to demand that the Ukrainian opposition respect the Minsk ceasefire reached between the parties.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (right) at a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Photo: AP)

Speaking at a joint press conference in Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel also said that European security would be more stable if countries had good cooperative relations with Russia.

“We want a political partnership with Russia. European security is always better if we are not at odds with each other. For this to happen, certain conditions must be met, such as ensuring the basic rules of territorial integrity of a state,” Merkel said.

The German Chancellor also expressed optimism about the possibility of soon holding a four-party meeting between Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany in Kazakhstan on the situation in Eastern Ukraine.

For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also said that NATO will consider Ukraine's application for membership like other countries. That means Ukraine needs to meet all the standards that NATO requires as a democratic, open society, contributing to the stability and security of Europe./.

According to VOV