NATO and Russia maintain major differences regarding security in Europe
After four hours of talks in Brussels, Wednesday's NATO-Russia Council yielded no concrete measures with a view to solving the military crisis generated by Moscow and its alleged security claims. Russia says it has no intention to invade Ukraine, but it wants to stop NATO enlargement and the withdrawal of Allied forces from Central and Eastern European countries that joined NATO after 1997. According to NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, the round of talks in Brussels proved useful to both parties, although the Allies have rejected the possibility of compromising on any of the Alliance's fundamental principles, including the territorial integrity of every European country. Accordingly, Russia was told that any negotiation regarding its request to prevent NATO from expanding would be ruled out. It was also given a firm "no" regarding its call for NATO to withdraw its troops from Eastern members, which would virtually leave the area vulnerable.
In fact, Secretary Stoltenberg explained that the whole idea of defense and deterrence, including NATO's exercises and presence on the eastern flank, have been in response to Russia's growing aggressiveness and its obvious willingness to use armed force to modify the borders of neighboring states. In this context, Moscow was told that, should it invade Ukraine again, the Allies this time will provide military support to Kiev, instead of just passing sanctions against the Russian Federation. Therefore, NATO has again called on Russia to pull out its soldiers deployed on the Ukrainian border in recent months. The only possible concession to Moscow would be for NATO not to deploy certain missile systems in Europe. Romanian Mircea Geoană, NATO deputy secretary general, explained that the anti-ballistic missile shield facilities set up in Romania and Poland do not fall under the same category.
"They serve no offensive purpose against the Russian Federation, which is why they will be excluded from any possible agreement. Conversely, the Russian Federation has mobilized a wide variety of ballistic systems and other types of equipment, including state-of-the-art technology, close to NATO borders. This is a major concern for us".
In Romania, at the annual meeting of diplomats held in Bucharest, president Klaus Iohannis said boosting the US military presence in Romania remains a key objective in the face of growing security challenges. Romania needs a stronger deterrence and defense posture, and the recent security developments have showed they risk affecting Euro-Atlantic space as well. The president used this point to stress the importance of trans-Atlantic relations. (VP)
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