Accession to NATO is solely the decision of Ukraine and the member states of the alliance, said Stoltenberg. At the same time, he warned Russia again against military aggression against Ukraine. That would have unforeseeable political and economic consequences. With a view to the upcoming talks with Russian representatives, Stoltenberg spoke of “an important week for the security of Europe”. But he does not believe “that we can expect that these meetings will solve all problems”.
On Monday, the Deputy Foreign Ministers of Russia and the United States, Wendy Sherman and Sergei Ryabkov, met for a face-to-face meeting in Geneva. The meeting takes place within the framework of the strategic security dialogue that Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin agreed at their meeting in June. It’s the third round. A meeting of the NATO-Russia Council will follow on Wednesday and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which also includes Russia, on Thursday.
Stoltenberg: Will hear Russia’s worries
Stoltenberg said that the talks were entered into with good intentions and that Russia’s concerns would be heard. The NATO-Ukraine Commission met in Brussels on Monday. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanischyna said at a joint press appearance with Stoltenberg that Russia, as the aggressor, does not have the right to make any demands.
Russia has gathered almost 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine. The West is threatening tough sanctions if Russian soldiers invade Ukraine. The Moscow government rejects allegations that it is preparing an invasion. Instead, they want to make it clear that Moscow will not accept further eastward expansion of NATO. Russia also demands security guarantees.
The conflict in eastern Ukraine has been going on since 2014. According to United Nations estimates, more than 13,000 people have died there so far.
“We don’t go there with an outstretched hand”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday ahead of the meeting that it was difficult to make progress “in an atmosphere of escalation with a gun at the head of Ukraine”. However, he emphasized that neither a withdrawal of US troops from Eastern Europe nor a promise not to expand NATO were up for negotiation. A US government official said it was not up to Moscow to decide which countries other states would enter into alliances with.
Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov made it clear in an interview with the RIA Novosti state agency: “We are not going there with an outstretched hand, but with a clearly formulated task that must be solved under the conditions we have formulated.” He spoke of “realistic” expectations of the talks . “According to the signals that we have heard from Washington and Brussels in the past few days, it would be naive to assume that there will be progress – especially rapid progress,” said the 61-year-old.
US warning of Russian reporting
The US warned that Russian media would likely misrepresent the content of Monday’s talks and speak of US concessions. A government official said he would not be surprised if the Russian side spread false reports about US concessions to “create a division among the allies.”
The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also commented on the conflict and insisted on the inclusion of Europe. “It is clear that there is no decision on security in Europe without Europe. The only way out of the crisis is through dialogue ”, she told the newspaper“ La Stampa ”(Monday edition) before her inaugural visit to Rome on Monday. She added: “That is why the French Foreign Minister and I are committed to returning to discussions in the Normandy format.”
In the Normandy format of four, France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine are trying to resolve the conflict that has been going on for almost eight years. The last time there was a meeting in Normandy format at executive level in 2019 was in Paris. Baerbock further told the newspaper: “Precisely because the situation on the Ukrainian border is worrying, there must be no further military escalation. The most important guarantee for the security of Ukraine is success at the negotiating table. “