US Ambassador to Russia Sullivan: NATO enlargement principle cannot be revised
Photo: Nina Zotina / RIA Novosti
The Geneva debate on security assurances was not a failure, but talks between Russia and the United States could still fail. This was stated by the US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan, Interfax reports.
In addition, he assured that the American side is still open to dialogue with Russia on this issue. The diplomat added that interaction between Russia and the United States can also be built in non-public discussions. In addition, Sullivan believes that Russian concerns about NATO expansion can still be discussed.
“The discussion [in Geneva] revolved around issues, some of which had not previously been covered in the discussion of the Strategic Stability Dialogue. But, as I said, it was a productive discussion, ”the diplomat said.
However, he also clarified that NATO cannot revise the principles of admitting new countries to the organization at the request of the Russian side. According to him, “this is a principle that has stood the test of time since the North Atlantic Treaty was adopted in 1949.”
Earlier, the Permanent Representative of the United States to the alliance Julianne Smith said that the United States does not see great opportunities to reach a compromise with Russia on the issue of NATO's non-expansion. According to her, today there are no proposals for changes in NATO's policy on the expansion of the organization.
