The Moscow-NATO relationship is approaching a ‘time for truth’: Russia’s prime minister | Conflict Issues
Conflict in Ukraine does not seem to end when diplomatic talks begin.
Moscow has stated that relations between Russia and NATO are approaching “a time of truth” ahead of Ukraine’s major talks.
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Tuesday later negotiations a day earlier between Russian and American officials in Geneva who had set up a week of talks to reduce tensions.
A NATO-Russia Council meeting will be held in Brussels on Wednesday.
“It is no exaggeration to say that the moment of truth comes in our relationship and solidarity,” Grushko was quoted as saying by Russian media.
“Our expectations are real and we hope that this will be a major, deep dialogue on the major European security challenges,” he added, referring to the talks in Brussels.
Washington and Kyiv say Moscow has sent about 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border in recent months, eight years after it invaded Crimea.
War activity has caused panic in Ukraine and in the White House of US President Joe Biden over another Russian offensive and has threatened Western powers to punish Moscow if it does.
For its part, Moscow refuses to prepare for the invasion and seeks a series of sanctions from Washington and its NATO allies, many of whom have already been criticized as instigators by Western powers.
Grushko said Russia wants to respond more fully from the treaty to its goals.
“We will push concrete, factual, written and news articles to the Russian alliance on guarantees,” he said.
Russia’s demands, which were unveiled in December, are aimed at having the US and NATO in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, stating that the US-led treaty should not accept Ukraine or Georgia as new members or establish foundations in the former Soviet Union Union.
After more than seven hours of negotiations in Geneva on Monday, Russian and US officials volunteered to continue the talks, although nothing happened.
Moscow remained skeptical of progress on Tuesday and insisted it would continue – that it would not allow its interests to be compromised in the negotiations.
“We can never be satisfied with a permanent departure,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov’s comments came as Linda-Thomas Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, told Al Jazeera on Monday that he “wanted” to believe what Russia was saying was not planned to attack Ukraine.
“But everything we have seen so far shows that they are giving their opinion,” he told a news conference at UN headquarters in New York.
“If they decide not to go further, because of a relationship they have had over the last few weeks … then it ‘s a good thing, but we will continue to do so. preparation and preparation responding if they take action against Ukraine. “
Wednesday’s talks will be followed by a meeting in Vienna of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Thursday.
