NATO-Russia Council:
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and Russia discussed the ongoing situation in Ukraine and its implications for security in Europe at the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) in Brussels.
- Talks between representatives of NATO and Russia concluded without a clear outcome.
NATO-Russia Council:
- NRC was established at the NATO-Russia Summit in Rome (Rome Declaration) on 28 May 2002.
- It replaced the Permanent Joint Council (PJC), a forum for consultation and cooperation created by the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act on Mutual Relations.
- The NRC is a mechanism for consultation, consensus-building, cooperation, joint decision and joint action, in which the individual NATO member states and Russia work as equal partners on a wide spectrum of security issues of common interest.
Highlights of the Meet:
- NATO rejected Russia’s demand for a new security settlement in Europe, challenging Russia to withdraw troops deployed near Ukraine and join talks on reducing the threat of open conflict.
- For the US and EU, Ukraine acts as a significant buffer with Russia. Ukraine is also building a naval base in Ochakiv and another in Berdyansk, which Russia is not happy about.
- The Western allies received no promise that Russia will stand down its forces — which Moscow insists pose no threat to its already partially occupied neighbour — despite the threat of economic sanctions.
- Russia demanded not to admit any more members into NATO and to withdraw western forces from its Eastern Allies.
- It also warned that the continued deterioration could lead to the “most unpredictable and most dire consequences for European security.”
- There are significant differences between NATO allies and Russia which will not be easy to bridge.
