Russia wants NATO to change enlargement formula at Madrid summit

11.01.2022 10:40

Ukrinform

The head of the Russian delegation at a Geneva meeting with the United States, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, said Russia sought "concrete guarantees" that Ukraine and Georgia would never become NATO Allies to be enshrined in the decision of the Madrid summit.

This was reported by an Ukrinform correspondent with reference to the broadcast of Ryabkov's press conference.

"We would like the formula adopted by the Bucharest summit in 2008 to be withdrawn and replaced at the NATO summit in Madrid by the following one: ‘Ukraine and Georgia will never become members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization," Ryabkov said.

He said that in the conditions of distrust of the other side, Russia requires "reinforced, concrete, and legally significant guarantees," which he says is a priority issue of Russia's national security.

As reported earlier, Ryabkov also said t "the risks of military confrontation should not be underestimated" and that the American side, refusing to contribute to reversing the NATO expansion policy, underestimates all seriousness of the current situation.

The US-Russia bilateral talks, which lasted more than seven hours, were held in Geneva on January 10.

The negotiations, which took the form of a U.S.-Russia Strategic Stability Dialogue, were the first round of U.S. discussions with the Russians, aimed at finding ways to de-escalate the situation in Europe. The dialogue is taking place against the backdrop of the buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine's borders, as well as the Kremlin's ultimate demands for new "security guarantees" in Europe. Last month, Moscow said it wanted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to return to its 1997 position and for Ukraine and Georgia to lose any prospects of NATO accession.

The Americans denied their readiness to discuss such demands, stating they would talk with the Russians only on security issues where there is room for diplomatic dialogue.

A meeting of the Russia-NATO Council is scheduled to be held in Brussels January 12. The next day, January 13, talks with the Russian side are to take place in the format of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna. The next NATO Summit is scheduled for 29-30 June 2022 in Madrid, Spain.