NATO has warned Moscow to abandon its bellicose foreign policy and cooperate with the West or face a conflict-seasoned military alliance, on the eve of a week of intense diplomacy aimed at averting a Russian assault on the ‘Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the US-led defense pact was prepared for “a new armed conflict in Europe” should negotiations fail, as Western officials braced for potential talks with Moscow on downsizing military exercises, arms control, and a pledge not to deploy US missiles in Ukraine.
“I know the history of Russia. For centuries, they have experienced conflicts with their neighbors, ”he told the Financial Times. “[But] Russia has an alternative: to cooperate, to work with NATO.
Russia has deployed around 100,000 troops to locations near its border with Ukraine in recent months, raising concerns that it is considering another attack on a country it invaded in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea.
President Vladimir Putin has denied any plans for an invasion. But he warned of possible military action if the United States and NATO ignored Moscow’s demands for new defense agreements that would significantly reduce the capabilities of the United States and NATO in Europe. Russia claims that these capabilities pose a threat to its borders.
“It is possible to find together a path, a political path to follow, and also to respond to Russia’s concerns. . . But there is always a risk of conflict, ”Stoltenberg said in an interview. “NATO’s deterrence is credible and strong. . . We must hope and work hard for the best, but prepare for the worst. “
His warning comes ahead of official talks between Russian and US officials in Geneva on Monday, followed by a meeting of 30 NATO alliance members and a Russian delegation on Wednesday. A third meeting organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe at Large is scheduled for Thursday.
Russia’s demands include a ban on Ukraine and other countries from joining NATO and a Kremlin veto on alliance activities in member states that joined after the collapse of the Soviet Union . Stoltenberg said both were unacceptable because they violated NATO’s “core principles” of offering membership to all and defending allies equally.
Instead, Stoltenberg said the United States and NATO were ready to discuss with Russia possible risk reduction measures “like arms control, on efforts to try to have more transparency. on military activities, exercises and also on lines of communication “.
Excluding U.S. missile deployments to Ukraine and discussing broader rules on missile systems in Europe were two areas Washington saw a possibility of agreement, a senior Biden administration official said ahead of the talks. , adding that it would depend on whether “Russia is prepared to make a reciprocal commitment.”
The United States was also “willing to explore the possibility of reciprocal restrictions on the size and scope of [military] exercises, including both strategic bombers close to the territory of the other, as well as exercises on the ground ”, declared the person in charge, adding that“ no firm commitment ”would be made in Geneva.
Washington has strongly denied media reports that it could offer to withdraw some troops stationed in Eastern Europe in exchange for Russia reducing its deployment on the Ukrainian border. Instead, officials said the United States and other NATO allies were ready to increase that presence if Putin took military action.
The United States, the EU and other Western partners have also warned that they will impose financial and economic sanctions on Russia in the event of a military escalation, which Western officials say would lead to “massive consequences and significant costs ”for Moscow.
While the Kremlin expressed hope for quick solutions from the talks, Stoltenberg said he expected it would take “a series of meetings” to find mutually acceptable results.
“We are ready to fight for a better relationship,” said the former Norwegian prime minister. “We have proven before that we are able to compromise and find solutions with Russia.”
