BOrrel: the demand for non-expansion of NATO to the east is a “purely Russian agenda”, He said that “only the winners” put forward their conditions in writing. Borrel stressed the need for Brussels to participate in the security talks and said that the discussion should not be limited to the topic of Ukraine
Josep Borrel
Russia wants to negotiate on European security without the participation of the European Union, which is absurd, EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Josep Borrel said in an interview with Welt.
“Demands for security guarantees and an end to the expansion of the EU and NATO to the east are a purely Russian agenda with completely unacceptable conditions, especially with regard to Ukraine,” he believes.
According to Borrel, the Russian side for the first time stated its agenda in writing, “this has never happened.” “Only the winners do this: they say that this and that are my conditions,” said the head of European diplomacy.
Borrel stressed that the European Union should participate in negotiations on security in Europe: there will be sense in such consultations, “only if they take place in close cooperation with the EU and with its participation.” “Russia wants to discuss the architecture of European security without including the European Union [in this process]. This is absurd. We won’t accept it. No decisions about us can be made if we were not [at the discussion],” the diplomat said.
Borrel is convinced that negotiations with Russia should not be limited to the topic of Ukraine and the non-expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance. “We have to talk about all violations since the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975,” he said.
The head of EU diplomacy added that Brussels does not agree with many aspects of Russia’s foreign policy, as well as with some events that Moscow considers its internal affairs, in particular, with the human rights situation in the country.
In response to a question about whether Russia is planning an attack on Ukraine, Borrel said that such an option is not excluded, but there are other possible scenarios. As possible scenarios, he called the destabilization of the Ukrainian government “using hybrid tactics”, increased escalation between the Ukrainian military and the separatists of Donbass and pressure on Europe through the restriction of gas supplies.
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In mid-December, the Russian side handed over to the United States drafts of a security guarantee treaty and an agreement on security measures for Russia and NATO countries. Among Moscow’s proposals is an agreement on non-expansion of the alliance to the east, a ban on the entry of the former USSR countries into it and a ban on military activities on their territory.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg proposed discussing security guarantees at a meeting of the NATO Russia Council on January 12. He said that the alliance is ready for dialogue with Russia, but will not compromise on Ukraine’s right to apply for membership in the association.
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, previously stated that the European Union “as a non-military organization in general” can play a supporting role in negotiations on security guarantees between Russia and NATO.
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