Special meeting on Ukraine – NATO foreign minister: criticism of Russia, but open to dialogue – News
The NATO foreign ministers met virtually for an extraordinary meeting on Friday afternoon. Main topic: The Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine and the consequences for the Western military alliance. It was about a common position for a series of meetings, including the USA-Russ direct talks on Monday in Geneva. The development in Kazakhstan is now also having an inevitable influence on the considerations in the Ukraine conflict, reports the SRF diplomatic correspondent, Fredy Gsteiger.
SRF News: What came out of the meeting?
Fredy Gsteiger: The meeting mainly resulted in a demonstration of unity. In essence, it was a question of the NATO members resolutely rejecting both of the main Russian demands. The first concerns the renouncement of another NATO expansion. That would not only affect Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia, but also Sweden and Finland, if they wanted to join. The principle of NATO: Sovereign nations should be able to freely choose their alliances.
The second main Russian demand to station NATO troops and weapons in the former Soviet republics is also resolutely rejected. Because then the three Baltic states would become second-class NATO members and could no longer really be defended by the alliance.
Did the European states want to give the USA red lines for negotiations with Moscow next week?
That’s probably what it’s about too. In Geneva, the US should not make concessions to Russia at the expense of European security. At the same time, there is an art of «counterpart» to Russia today and it is emphasized that the Russian obsession is being taken seriously and that Moscow is now ready for dialogue. For its part, NATO is ready to negotiate arms control, both nuclear and in the area under consideration.
The EU is more or less outside of the negotiations. Can the European states manage to intervene again via NATO?
At least that’s what you want to try. You don’t want two great powers to decide who is responsible for European security or not. Apparently it was possible to get the Americans on board insofar as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said clearly that the USA would not decide anything with Moscow on Monday in Geneva regarding the Europeans without their involvement. The fact is, however, that the ball is currently with the two greats and Russia only wants to negotiate with the Americans on an equal footing.
Were the unrest in Kazakhstan and Russian military engagement also an issue?
That cannot be avoided. The NATO statement on Kazakhstan is still vague and, in addition to concern, includes an appeal to respect human rights. Developments in Kazakhstan naturally have an impact on considerations in the Ukraine conflict. in contradicting ways: For example, there is the need to consider a longer Russian engagement in Kazakhstan to reduce the appetite for an attack on Ukraine. Political considerations continue to suggest that Moscow could intervene very quickly in Ukraine because, after Belarus, a second friendly regime has now come under pressure from its own people. The consequences of the Kazakhstan crisis for the Ukraine crisis are also relatively open, depending on the weighting.
The interview was conducted by Christina Scheidegger.