FT: The European Union seeks participation in the negotiations of the Russian Federation with the USA and NATO on security guarantees
Photo: Pascal Rossignol / Reuters
The European Union has demanded a place at the table of upcoming talks between Russia and the United States and NATO on security guarantees. This is reported by the “Financial Times” (FT), citing a source among senior officials.
Thus, the EU representatives were dissatisfied with the format of the negotiations, which does not imply the participation of the European Union in the process of discussing the future interaction with NATO and the priorities of the defense policy.
“The EU cannot be a neutral observer in these negotiations if Russia really wants to discuss the European security architecture,” said Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published the draft agreements of the Russian Federation with NATO and the United States on security guarantees in Europe. The document, in particular, says that Washington should not create military bases in the territories of the former USSR countries that are not NATO members. The United States also did not recommend using their infrastructure for any military activity and developing bilateral military cooperation with them. Talks on strategic stability and security issues will begin in Geneva on January 10.
