The EU and NATO are Preparing a Response to Russia’s Terms

The West wants to avoid a direct rejection of the proposals of the Russian Federation in an effort to find areas of mutual agreement, however, it is not yet clear who and how is going to negotiate. Representatives of NATO and the European Union have not yet agreed on how and in what composition it is possible to negotiate with Russia on its proposals in the field of European security. On Tuesday, December 21, The Financial Times reports with reference to representatives of the Western authorities. “Officials told The Financial Times that there is no consensus on how to conduct negotiations and who will participate in them,” the publication says. An unnamed senior NATO official also explained to the publication why it is impossible to refuse. “The problem here is that if we just say no to Moscow’s demands, there won't be space for dialogue left,” he said. The interlocutor added that at the moment NATO and the EU are discussing how to respond to Russia’s proposals. The FT recalls that Western officials rejected almost all of Russia’s proposals, calling them untrustworthy and contrary to the post-Cold War era treaties that guaranteed sovereign states the right to choose their own path. At the same time, the newspaper writes, the defense departments of Western countries want to avoid a direct rejection of the proposals of the Russian Federation in an effort to find areas of mutual agreement and reduce tensions in the situation around Ukraine. However, Western diplomats don’t want Russia to set the terms for cooperation on these issues, and discussions can begin only when the United States and NATO agree on their proposals for Moscow. To achieve results, a narrower format of negotiations may be necessary than at the Russia-NATO Council or the OSCE sites. As we know, on December 17, Russia published drafts of the security guarantees treaty and the agreement on security measures of the Russian Federation and NATO member states. Later, Moscow added that if NATO refuses Russia’s proposals on security guarantees, they will switch to a “counter-threat mode”. In response, the White House said that the United States would not hold consultations on the security issue in Europe without allies in the EU, noting that they were discussing proposals with allies. Корреспондент