[ad_1]
Western allies on Thursday (December 16th) rejected Russia’s attempt to thwart Ukraine’s ambitions for NATO membership and urged Moscow to return to French-German-mediated talks to ease growing tensions on the Russia-Ukraine border. .
Russian President Vladimir Putin is pushing for direct dialogue with the administration of his American counterpart, Joe Biden, to resolve the border issue.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has called Russia an “aggressor”, reiterating accusations that Moscow has amassed large forces on Ukraine’s border.
Even European Union leaders, most of whom are from countries that are also NATO allies, have warned of massive economic sanctions if Russia takes military action.
Meeting in Brussels at an EU summit, European leaders called for a return to the “Normandy Format”, a four-way dialogue between Paris, Berlin, Kiev and Moscow aimed at ending the conflict.
On Wednesday, Russia handed over a list of security demands to US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried, who then came to NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday to discuss them with Stoltenberg.
The NATO chief also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and held a joint press conference to insist that any decision on membership is a matter for Kiev and the alliance’s 30 member states.
“We will not compromise on Ukraine’s right to choose its own path. “We will not compromise on NATO’s right to protect all NATO allies,” Stoltenberg said.
He also said there would be no compromise on NATO’s partnership with Ukraine, describing it as important to both sides and “by no means a threat to Russia”.
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link