Stoltenberg: Russia’s guarantees unacceptable – There can be no ‘second class’ NATO members

LAST UPDATE: 20:02

NATO welcomes Russia’s bid for diplomatic consultations, but the alliance can not accept any creation of “second-class” allies it will not be able to defend, Alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday after a cabinet meeting. Foreign.

“We are ready to cooperate with Russia on arms control, both conventional and nuclear, but this must be reciprocal,” Stoltenberg said.

“This is different (from) imposing unilateral restrictions; we can not reach a situation where there are second-class NATO members, where NATO as an alliance will not be allowed to protect them,” he added.

During a news conference after the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, Stoltenberg added that “the idea that Ukraine is a threat to Russia is unfounded. Ukraine is not a threat to Russia. If nothing else, I think a democratic, stable Ukraine is the challenge for them. ”

It is recalled that Russia has deployed a large number of troops near its border with Ukraine and has asked for legally binding guarantees that NATO will stop its expansion to the east and abandon any military activity in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Agriculture. Moscow denies US allegations that it plans to invade Ukraine and accuses Kiev of concentrating its forces in the east of the country.

Although it is unlikely that Ukraine and Georgia – both of which have territorial disputes with Moscow – are likely to join NATO soon, Stoltenberg said the acceptance of northern Macedonia and Montenegro shows that “the door to NATO remains open”.

In addition, he stressed that it would be unacceptable to give Russia the right to deny which countries could join the Alliance in the future.