Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Grushko said that NATO expansion will not strengthen the security of the alliance
Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, former Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to NATO Alexander Grushko in an interview with RIA News appreciated the idea of Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Alliance.
He pointed out that at present such a step is irrational, thinking about it in the current situation can “only a madman.”
This is based on the rational behavior of the West. But it’s irrational
The diplomat drew attention to the fact that even before the Bucharest summit in 2008, when a decision was made on the possibility of Ukraine and Georgia joining the North Atlantic Alliance, Moscow had warned about the danger of such a step.
On November 11, it became known that a number of NATO countries, including Greece and Poland, supported Ukraine’s application to join the alliance. As Politico noted, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin acknowledged Kyiv’s desire to join the North Atlantic bloc, but said he did not see any solutions to this issue in the short term.
The fact that Ukraine intends to apply for NATO membership in an accelerated mode was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of September. In his address, the head of state also said that Kyiv has de facto already passed its way into the alliance and is part of it.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the decision on membership should be made through a meeting of 30 partner countries, and stressed that the alliance is now focused on providing support to Ukraine in the conflict with Russia.
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NATO ensures its security at the expense of other countries
Grushko said that NATO is forgetting the principle that one cannot strengthen one’s security at the expense of the security of other states. He recalled that Moscow had committed itself not to take such steps.
According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, if one side is asked not to do certain things, one should listen, sit down at the negotiating table and seek consensus on how to ensure the security of NATO, Russia and Ukraine.
This was not done under the pretext that, they say, Ukraine itself wanted, and NATO only responded to the request of a sovereign state, and in general this is part of the principle that states themselves choose ways to ensure security
Earlier, the American historian Noam Chomsky said that former US President Bill Clinton violated the promise given to Russia not to expand NATO. The expert recalled that former US leader George W. Bush agreed with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not move “an inch” to the east in exchange for united Germany joining the bloc.
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NATO expansion does not contribute to strengthening the bloc’s security
Alexander Grushko pointed out that NATO expansion does not contribute to strengthening the security of the alliance itself, since a line of contact with Russia is being created.
By the way, the admission of Finland and Sweden worsens the security of NATO, because a line of contact of more than 1,200 kilometers is being created with Russia, which is declared by NATO to be the main enemy and a threat to the alliance itself.
Earlier, Bloomberg reported that Sweden and Finland allowed the deployment of nuclear weapons near the borders with Russia if they become members of NATO. However, Finnish President Sauli Niiniste later announced Helsinki’s refusal to deploy the alliance’s nuclear weapons.
The Swedish newspaper Proletären warned of the dangers of joining NATO. According to the publication, after joining the alliance, nuclear weapons and American military bases will appear on the country’s territory, despite the fact that Stockholm has repeatedly opposed this.
Sweden and Finland on May 18 applied to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to join the alliance. This decision was made against the backdrop of Russia’s special operation in Ukraine. On June 29, the leaders of the countries of the bloc at the summit in Brussels officially invited the states to join the alliance.
At the moment, applications for NATO membership have not been ratified by only two countries out of 30 – Hungary and Turkey.
In early November, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, said that the timing of the admission of Sweden and Finland depends on how quickly both countries fulfill the conditions put forward by Ankara.
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