Before the opening of US-Russian talks Monday, January 10 in Geneva, to defuse the risk of Russian intervention in Ukraine, NATO is showing its unity. Russia, which has massed tens of thousands of soldiers near the borders of Ukraine in recent months, demands security guarantees from the West, in particular the end of all military collaboration between NATO and Ukraine and Georgia and any enlargement of the Atlantic Alliance to Eastern Europe.
“Russia’s military build-up continues around Ukraine and is accompanied by a threatening speech from Moscow if its demands are not accepted. However, they are unacceptable and the risk of a new conflict is real ”NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday (January 7th) after a videoconference meeting with the heads of diplomacy of the 30 Alliance member states.
Moscow proposals
The Kremlin made public at the end of last year two treaty proposals committing NATO to exclude any future membership of Ukraine and to reduce its forces near the borders with Russia. “It is out of the question for NATO to compromise on the principle of the right of each nation to choose its own path, including the type of security agreement to which it wants to be a part”, argued Mr Stoltenberg.
But the allies set conditions. “The Russian government must de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels and respect its commitments in terms of transparency of military activities”, thus demanded the British Foreign Minister, Liz Truss. His Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Rau, for his part asserted that “Talks with Russia cannot take place in a situation of escalation towards Ukraine and NATO”. “No discussion on the security of Europe will take place without Europeans at the negotiating table”, insisted Jens Stoltenberg.
The United States will not let itself “Distract” by Russian demands to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, said US foreign minister Antony Blinken. He promised in Kiev that there would be “No discussion on Ukraine without Ukraine”. A “Diplomatic solution” with Russia “Is still possible”, if Moscow plays the game of dialogue, to defuse the crisis around Ukraine, he added.
“We are ready to respond forcefully to further Russian aggression. But a diplomatic solution is still possible, and preferable, if Russia chooses this path “, he said ahead of a week of talks between the West and Moscow.
“The entire geopolitical situation in the region requires that Europe, the European Union, be able to propose its vision of things, act and sit around the table with all the stakeholders”, French President Emmanuel Macron insisted on Friday during a meeting in Paris with members of the European Commission, chaired by the German Ursula von der Leyen.
No NATO intervention in Ukraine
“We need to prepare for the prospect that the consultation will fail, warned Jens Stoltenberg. If Russia decides to use military means against a neighbor, it will be hit with severe economic and political sanctions. “
But NATO will not intervene militarily, because Ukraine is not a member country of the Atlantic Alliance, he repeated. “Ukraine is a partner, but is not covered by the collective defense clause among the thirty allies”, he said. The Alliance is, however, preparing to strengthen its military presence on its eastern flank. “We have significant capacities”, stressed Jens Stoltenberg, recalling that NATO had a rapid reaction force of 40,000 men.
After the Geneva talks, Moscow agreed to participate in a NATO-Russia Council meeting on Wednesday, the first since the summer of 2019. “It is a positive signal because the voltages are high”, underlined Jens Stoltenberg. A meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will follow in Vienna the following day.