NATO’s expansion to the east and relations between Russia and the alliance have recently returned to the international agenda. The issue is directly related to the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border, which was addressed by the Russian Secretary of State and the US Secretary of State during a meeting in Stockholm this Thursday.
Moscow has been sharply critical of NATO’s intention of expanding to the east, proposing to draw up documents guaranteeing Russia’s security in this direction – as a measure to achieve expansion, while at the Pentagon it has expressed its concern over Russia’s nearby military operations. Ukrainian borders.
“eDream scene of military conflict“
Regarding the expansion of the alliance, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow is seeking not only the acceptance of new members, but also the deployment of troops in Russia’s neighbors. “Long-term and reliable security guarantees”, And in talks with the United States and its allies “will emphasize the expansion of specific agreements that NATO rejects extending to the East.”
The Russian president insisted that what Moscow needed was precisely legal guarantees because Western countries had not fulfilled their verbal obligations. Putin stressed that Russia’s “legitimate security concerns” continue to be ignored.
In turn, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg declared that the organization considered it “unacceptable” that Russia could have a sphere of interest because its neighbors are sovereign states, and affirmed that Moscow had “no veto or right to vote.” The issue of Ukraine’s entry into the alliance.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who continued to discuss the issue, said on Thursday that NATO was “worsening” the situation on Russia’s borders. Expansion affects security The country, the coalition refuses to consider Moscow’s plans to ease tensions. In this context, Lavrov recalled that “security is an inseparable principle […] It states that no one should strengthen their security out of concern for the safety of others.
The head of Russian diplomacy stressed that Russia’s becoming neighbors was “absolutely unacceptable.” “A Swing to Conflict” With Moscow. He also argued that NATO infrastructure was moving closer to the Russian border, returning to the “dream scene of military conflict.”
“We are not a threat to Russia.”
However he acknowledged that their numbers were not enough to defeat US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s policy, and stressed that the organization “represents a defensive alliance.”
“The notion that Ukraine represents a threat to Russia or that NATO actually represents a threat to Russia is fundamentally wrong,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, a statement from the US State Department. Highlighted Blinken made it clear that the United States and its allies would be prepared to impose significant costs if Moscow “chose the path of military expansion” against Ukraine.
It should be noted that in early November, there were reports in the US media that Russia was planning to attack Ukraine and concentrate troops on the border between the two countries. Kiev initially denied this information, but later confirmed it. After that, discussions on the issue continued, but the Ukrainian authorities changed the level of tension and reduced it from time to time. Meanwhile, evidence of these products in Russia has not yet been presented and most of the data related to it comes from anonymous sources.
Violation of red lines
For their part, they reiterated from Moscow that they did not plan military operations in Ukrainian territory, while reiterating that words about their threat of aggression against Ukraine were being used as an excuse to stabilize additional units of NATO military equipment. Russian border.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Sajarova Highlighted This Thursday, “NATO” is increasing its military infrastructure near the Russian border, as well as conducting exercises in the region. The spokesman reiterated in this context NATO’s eastern expansion is a “red line” for the Kremlin. In his words, “the continuation of Kiev’s involvement in the coalition’s military orbit”, as well as the exploitation of the Ukrainian military infrastructure by NATO, “really” began, and aims to turn Ukraine into a “swing board”. Zakarova stressed that NATO had promised not to expand eastward after the Cold War, but that “these promises have been forgotten and not fulfilled.”
These statements came after Vladimir Putin Make sure The deployment of attack complexes in the territory of Ukraine this Tuesday will mark the crossing of the Red Fort. “What should we do? If so, we need to create a parallel for those who threaten us like this. We can do it now,” the president stressed.
In turn, US President Joe Biden, Said What is this Friday “Do not accept red lines from anyone” He promised to hold a “long discussion” with his Russian envoy, Vladimir Putin, on the tensions between Russia and Ukraine. “We have known for a long time about Russia’s actions and my expectation is that we will have a long discussion with Putin,” he said.
What do experts say?
Alexander Kapuev, head of the Asian program at the Carnegie Moscow Center, told the Russian newspaper Kommersant that Russian officials consider it only meaningful to hold talks with the United States on the situation in Ukraine. “The Kiev government is heavily dependent on Washington and will do what they say from Washington,” Kapuyev said, adding that “the United States has the opportunity to influence the environment.”
For his part, Sam Sarab, a senior scientist with the ‘Think Tank’ brand, stressed to the newspaper that the growing risk between Russia and Ukraine is real, but it does not mean there will be a war.
On Comment According to Fyodor Luciano, head of the Russian Council for Foreign and Security Policy, the situation surrounding Russia-Ukraine relations could eventually mark a “significant milestone” in post-Cold European history.
“We are talking about a fundamental principle that is politically structured in Europe after the reunification of Germany. This event should be considered a starting point.
It is currently being developed A “complex and ambiguous situation, which is complicated by internal processes In most European countries, the United States, Russia, Ukraine and other states around Europe, “says the expert. As a result of a loss of understanding of what is going on “.
Former NATO Secretary-General George Robertson, who Speak In the framework of this Wednesday’s Valdai forum, he acknowledged that the escalation of tensions between the military camp and Moscow was “extremely dangerous and very dangerous for all.” It does not benefit anyone“.
Robertson urged both sides to drop the exchange of allegations in favor of a dialogue aimed at common goals such as climate change, terrorism, cybercrime, epidemics and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Finally, Adam Thompson, the UK’s Permanent Ambassador to NATO in 2014-2016, acknowledged that Russia had indeed felt a “certain threat” on behalf of the military alliance, although he described that position as wrong.
To deal with the “irreconcilable differences” between the two parties, Thompson said, we are all We need more gun control and less strong announcements“.
- In 2008, a NATO meeting was held in Bucharest, in which the coalition promised that Ukraine and Georgia would become members of the bloc, although no specific date was set.
- Moscow, meanwhile, is adamantly opposed to the two countries joining the camp, which borders Russia.
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