Ukraine: European Union prepares response after NATO-Russia meeting

Moscow has agreed to reactivate the Council North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNATO-Russia, the consultation body created in 2002. The meeting started around 10 am (local time), and is scheduled to last three hours.

Consultations North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNATO-Russia were carried out again in 2019, but, in fact, practical cooperation between the two has been broken off since 2014, after Moscow’s invasion and annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula. And Russia’s diplomatic mission to the Alliance was withdrawn in October after the expulsion of eight staff members suspected of Western espionage.

In Brussels, Russia is represented by Alexander Grushko, Deputy Foreign Minister, who called the meeting a moment of truth in relations withNorth Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNATO.

The US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman represents the United States, and France has dispatched François Delattre, number two in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to Brussels.

Ms. Sherman reported Tuesday to representatives of the 30 member countries of theNorth Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNATO the content of his talks in Geneva with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov.

There is no reason to be optimistic, but the Russians are seriously engaged in the diplomatic sequence, as for him entrusted to theFrance Media AgencyAFP the representative of a European country.

Inconclusive interviews

The Geneva talks were inconclusive. The Russians and the Americans have stood firm in their respective positions.

Moscow demanded from Washington and its allies a concrete guarantee that Ukraine will not be allowed to join theNorth Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNATO.

The Americans have made no concessions, but they have made proposals to reduce the risk of conflict and initiate conventional and nuclear disarmament, the new United States ambassador explained to the United States.North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNATO, Julianne Smith.

Washington has assured Moscow that it does not intend to position offensive weapons in Ukraine, but has denied any intention of carrying out demilitarization in Europe, for its part said a European diplomat.

” It is too early to tell whether the Russians are serious about diplomacy or not, or whether they are ready to negotiate seriously. “

Wendy Sherman set out on Tuesday to allay Europeans’ resentment of being left on the sidelines. She assured that nothing, in terms of security in Europe, would be done without the Europeans, further underlined the European diplomat.

Reconstructing a geopolitical glacis

Russia wants reconstitute the Soviet geopolitical glacis in Europe and attempt a decoupling between the United States and Europe. These goals are clearly unacceptable, warned the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell on Wednesday, in a post on his blog.

The board North Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNATO-Russia risks however being only a repetition of the discussions in Geneva, each party sticking to its positions.

Russia will demand a comprehensive response from the Atlantic Alliance to its demands.

” We will press for a concrete, substantive, article-by-article reaction to the draft Russian safeguards agreement. “

Westerners accuse Russia of having amassed in recent weeks some 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine to prepare an attack against this country, which Moscow denies.

Russia says this military deployment is a reaction to the perceived growing and threatening presence of theNorth Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNATO in what it considers to be its area of ​​influence.

Threat of invasion of Ukraine

Wendy Sherman lamented the lack of explanations and tangible proof at this point that Moscow was not planning to invade Ukraine.

We must observe the utmost caution, underlined for his part the European representative, we have no reason to believe that a (de-escalation) process is going to be initiated.

The countries of the European Union – 21 are members of theNorth Atlantic Treaty OrganizationNATO – must have clear positions for the discussions on the security architecture of Europe and we must formulate our response in the event that Russia carries out its threats against Ukraine, said Josep Borrell.

This question ofEU“,” text “:” precise EU contribution “}}”>precise contribution ofEuropean UnionEU the debate will be at the heart of the meetings of the Foreign Affairs and Defense ministers of the Twenty-Seven on Thursday and Friday in Brest (West of France).

Josep Borrell spoke of coordinated sanctions and other unspecified actions. We are not a military alliance, but we have the means to advance our security interests and those of our partners, he said.