The alliance, in parallel with the United States, conveyed its response to Russia for its “security guarantees.”We will not compromise on basic principles, NATO Secretary General emphasized / photo: REUTERS

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to withdraw its occupying troops from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

This was discussed at an urgent briefing by the Secretary General on January 26.

“A critical moment is coming for the North Atlantic Alliance. The build-up of military forces continues. Hundreds of thousands of troops are at war, including a significant contingent in Belarus. We again call on Russia to de-escalate,” Stoltenberg said.

He added that the Alliance is on the side of a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Eastern Europe, “but not by force and not by threats of force.”

“NATO has prepared written proposals from Russia, we did it in parallel with the United States,” the NATO Secretary General explained.

Stoltenberg outlined three areas where, according to the Alliance, progress is possible.

READ ALSOThe meeting of advisers to the leaders of the “Normandy Four” has been going on for more than seven hours”Firstly, Russia’s attitude towards NATO. Russia has diplomatic ties with NATO, they now complicate interaction. We must continue the dialogue along the Moscow-Brussels line, as well as strengthen interaction through existing channels of interaction in the military sphere, and establish a civilian line of communication. Secondly, we are ready to listen to the issues that concern Russia and conduct a dialogue based on the diplomatic principles of European security,” he said.

Stoltenberg stressed that Russia should avoid aggressive hostile rhetoric.

“Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova, where they are deployed without the consent of these countries. These countries must cooperate effectively to resolve the situation, including within the framework of the Normandy format,” the Alliance Secretary General replied.

According to him, it is also about transparency in negotiations with the Kremlin for the security of Europe, in particular in the cyber environment, space and control over the use of chemical weapons.

Finally, Stoltenberg noted, the Russian Federation should cooperate with NATO on nuclear arms control.

He stressed that NATO has “drawn defensive lines” but does not seek confrontation with Russia.

“We will not compromise on the basic principles that concern the security of Europe,” Stoltenberg stressed, noting Article 5 of NATO on the protection of its allies.

What came before

On the evening of January 26, US Ambassador John Sullivan handed over to the Russian Foreign Ministry Washington ‘s written response to Russia’s “security guarantees” in Ukraine and NATO.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken clarified the text will not be published for reasons of diplomacy, but the response takes into account the position of Ukraine.

Previously,  there were a series of meetings between representatives of the Russian Federation and NATO regarding the policy of membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

As a result of negotiations in January, NATO members rejected the Kremlin’s ultimatum.

Meanwhile, the US and the EU are working on tools to influence the Russian Federation, which has concentrated a 100,000-strong army around Ukraine and, according to intelligence estimates, may try to launch a new offensive in February 2022.

At the same time, Russian officials are publicly threatening a “difficult story” for Europe if their “guarantees” are not met.

Vladimir Putin called Ukraine’s entry into NATO “red lines” because, in his opinion, this could threaten Russia’s national security. Although the EU and the US have repeatedly stressed that Kiev does not pose a threat to the Russian Federation, and called on Moscow to de-escalate.

(C)UNIAN 2022