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– Alexander Grushko
Following the first NATO-Russia Council meeting since 2019 on Moscow’s requests for security concerns, the head of the Russian delegation explained that the two countries “do not have” a common agenda after the talks. He said the conversation was straightforward, sharp and frank “and I think we have been able to show members of the alliance that the situation is becoming intolerable”.
Leading in NATO policy is Russia’s restraint, and with enormous resources, it is no secret that this is the main purpose of the alliance and this fact hinders the negotiation process and attempts to build European security on other principles. If NATO moves to a policy of restraint, so Moscow will pursue a policy of counter-restraint, “said Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko.
“Very honestly, directly and without detours or any politically correct formulas, we said that escalating the situation could lead to the most unpredictable and severe consequences for European security. Russia does not agree with such a scenario.”
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He listed some of Russia’s insistence that Washington and NATO had said before Monday’s meeting with the United States in Geneva that they were completely unacceptable and unheard of.
According to Grushko, the imperative in possible negotiations remains:
- ending NATO’s open door policy
- giving assurances to Russia that the alliance will not expand to the east
- ending the “military takeover” of the territories controlled by the alliance after 1997 (ie since it began accepting the countries of the former Warsaw Pact)
- voltage reduction
“Our demands are complex and interconnected. This is not bread to break here or there,” he added at a news conference.
We do not accept “NATO’s attempts to interpret the principle of the indivisibility of security as extending only to the Allies” because it creates additional risks. NATO partners are convinced that “this position (of Russia) is of a principled nature and we will not back down from it.”
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The freedom of choice of sovereign states to ensure their security should not be at the expense of the same right of other states, he continued. “Membership of countries in other unions must take into account the security interests of other countries,” Grushko added. “Attempts to build security against Russia without Russia’s involvement are counterproductive, doomed to failure, and we will not allow it.”
In the Kremlin’s first comment on statements by the President and Prime Minister of non-aligned Finland that the country could apply for NATO membership, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today that “unconditionally any enlargement of NATO worries Russia. NATO is not a development institution but an instrument This alliance is so conceived, so designed, so realized, so developed and so exists. And this is an absolutely obvious fact, because the expansion of this mechanism is a threat to us. ”
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Regarding Ukraine’s security, he said that when Kiev is forced to implement the Minsk agreements, tensions around the country will be reduced. As well as NATO to suspend all military cooperation with Ukraine, Grushko added.
On the idea of activating the Russian mission in NATO for easier contacts, which Moscow closed at the end of last year, he said that it is possible, but it will happen “when the alliance takes a different direction, which allows collective forces to building security “
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A separate statement was made by the Deputy Minister of Defense Gen. Alexander Fomin. According to him, the neglect of the Russian position threatened conflicts and incidents in Europe. This is undermining the architecture for the security of the continent, which has been degrading lately, the ministry added.
Fomin accused the alliance that Russia had repeatedly proposed measures to reduce tensions, but they were ignored.
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