U.S. Ambassador Sullivan: U.S. Will Not Compromise On Relations With NATO Allies
John Sullivan. Photo: Alexey Maishev / RIA Novosti
US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan in an interview with the Kommersant newspaper assessed the possibility of a compromise between Washington and Moscow on the issue of US relations with NATO allies.
Sullivan said the US would not be willing to compromise with Moscow on security guarantees because there are longstanding principles that the US president and government “have adhered to successfully in maintaining peace in Europe for decades.” “These principles are the foundation of US security. Our commitment to our transatlantic relationship with our NATO allies is fundamental to our security and we are not going to compromise on this issue, ”the US Ambassador said.
Sullivan added that the Russian authorities, in the light of their experience with the United States, are aware of these fundamental values, on which Washington is not ready to seek compromises. He stressed that the United States is ready to enter into dialogue and discussion with Moscow and expressed the hope that this will be precisely a dialogue, and not a situation in which “one side requires guarantees.”
At the same time, Sullivan said that Washington could not immediately sign the draft documents on security guarantees transferred by the Russian side. “One of them is not addressed to the United States, but to NATO, it is assumed that this will be an agreement between Russia and NATO, so this is simply impossible,” he explained.
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft agreements between Russia, NATO and the United States on security guarantees. The document, in particular, says that the United States should not create military bases in the territories of the former USSR countries that are not members of NATO. The United States also did not recommend using their infrastructure for any military activity and developing bilateral military cooperation with them.
