A conflict between Russia and NATO could set the continent and the European economy back decades. This was stated by the chairman of the Eastern Committee of the German Economy, Oliver Hermes, whose words are quoted in a press release received by Izvestia on February 10.
According to him, over the past few months, it has been possible to reduce the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. This success must not be jeopardized by political conflicts, new sanctions or “military adventures,” Hermes stressed.
“A conflict between Russia and NATO could set our entire continent, and with it the European economy, decades back. The virus of uncertainty is already having a negative impact on the markets. Investments are being questioned, stocks and currencies are falling, economic opportunities are being missed, and energy prices are skyrocketing,” said the chairman of the committee.
He also pointed out that the topic of energy has been linking Germany, Russia and Ukraine for more than 50 years, in connection with which the parties should put all problems on the table, clarify conflicts through discussion and turn the already existing trilateral energy cooperation into an energy and climate partnership.
Earlier in the day, Moscow received a collective response from the foreign ministers of the 27 European Union (EU) countries. The document was a response to a letter from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the topic of security, which he sent on January 28, 2022 to the foreign ministers of Western countries, including the United States and Canada.
The content of the response was not disclosed. However, according to the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, it can be assumed that the document calls for a de-escalation and curtailment of Russia’s military buildup near the borders and on the territory of Ukraine, as well as in Belarus. Peter Stano, spokesman for the union’s foreign policy service, specified that Borrell’s response expresses the common position of the EU countries on the issues raised earlier by the Russian minister. Also today it became known that another letter was sent to Lavrov by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, it contains an invitation to continue a series of meetings in the Russia-NATO Council.
On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published draft agreements between Russia, the United States and NATO on security guarantees. The document assumes, in particular, non-expansion of NATO to the east, the withdrawal of the alliance’s weapons to the positions of 1997, as well as the non-deployment of strike weapons near Russian borders.
Negotiations on security guarantees were held in three stages in January. On January 10, a meeting of the Russian and US delegations took place in Geneva. On January 12, a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council was held in Brussels, and on January 13, consultations ended at the Vienna site of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on February 1 that the United States and NATO, in their responses to Russian proposals for security guarantees, ignored Moscow’s fundamental demands. The head of state clarified that Moscow did not see an adequate response to key requirements.
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