President Zelensky visited NATO HQ in Brussels on Dec. 16. The alliance issued public statements regarding Ukraine and the situation on its border.
“NATO Allies are gravely concerned by the substantial Russian military build-up on the borders of Ukraine” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shared in a Tweet on Dec. 16.
In a meeting in Brussels on the same day with President Volodymyr Zelensky, the NATO Secretary General discussed in detail Ukraine’s cooperation with the defensive alliance.
According to Ukraine’s presidential website on Dec. 16, the leaders discussed the deepening and strengthening of cooperation to support Ukraine and progressing common interests.
President Zelensky thanked NATO and Secretary General Stoltenberg for supporting the lawful sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and shared his view that Russia’s illegal behaviour is pushing Ukraine to work towards joining the NATO defensive alliance.
NATO issued an official statement on Dec.16 indicating that NATO supports “the right of all countries to decide their own future and foreign policy free from outside interference,” adding that NATO’s relationship with Ukraine only concerns this country and the 30 NATO allies, and not any other nation.
The statement continued with:
“Should Russia take concrete steps to reduce tensions, we are prepared to work on strengthening confidence-building measures.“
“We are aware of Russia’s recent European security proposals,” the statement added. saying that NATO is ready for dialogue with Russia and once again invites Russia to return to meetings of the NATO-RUSSIA Council as soon as possible. The statement stressed that any dialogue must go two ways, must be based on the core principles of European security, and should happen in consultation with European Partners and the OSCE.
NATO nations reiterated their defence and diplomacy policy and called again on the Russian Federation “to immediately de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities”.
The 30 NATO member states declared that “Any further aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and would carry a high price,” assuring that “NATO will take all necessary measures to ensure the security and defence of all NATO Allies,” coordinate with all international partners, continue security assessments, and “respond in a determined way to any deterioration of our security environment”.
The statement concluded with the message that NATO is a defensive alliance that seeks to maintain peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region, and that the 30 NATO member nations “stand united to defend and protect all Allies.”
The following day, the Russian Federation published their draft proposal in relation to NATO and Ukraine.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation the draft proposal states: “The participants [NATO and Russia] in their relations with each other undertake to peacefully settle all international disputes, and also to refrain from any use of force or the threat of its use in any way incompatible with the purposes of the United Nations.”
Where the Kremlin proposal touches upon NATO expansion, it mentions Ukraine directly.
Article 6 of the Kremlin proposal states: “The participants, which are member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, accept obligations that preclude further NATO enlargement, including the accession of Ukraine, as well as other states.”
Article 7 states: “The participants, which are member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, refuse to conduct any military activity on the territory of Ukraine, as well as other states of Eastern Europe, Transcaucasia and Central Asia.”
Regarding U.S. and Russian relations, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on its Facebook page in the afternoon of Dec. 17 outlining their draft treaty proposal to the U.S. concerning their request for security guarantees and they expressed hope that the “United States will soon enter into serious negotiations with Russia on an issue that is critical for maintaining peace and stability”.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_190373.htm
https://twitter.com/jensstoltenberg/status/1471593184539160581
