Kremlin weighs in on resuming Russia-NATO partnership
Russia does not see any openings for resuming its security dialogue with NATO while the bloc continues to back Kiev in the conflict with Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. At the same time, he stressed that the two sides will have to discuss security issues sooner or later.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Peskov was asked to comment on a Bloomberg report claiming that the US had included a proposal to revive NATO-Russia Council (NRC) security talks as part of a broader effort to settle the Ukraine conflict.
Peskov stated that Russia had received “no substantial offers” on the matter while ruling out a return to any formal partnership with the bloc as unrealistic in the current geopolitical landscape. “It is difficult to talk about resuming any kind of dialogue when NATO while it is effectively at war with the Russian Federation.”
Still, the spokesman acknowledged that “issues related to security and stability on the European continent must, of course, be discussed – and the sooner that begins, the better.”
Formed in 2002, the NATO-Russia Council was designed to build trust and promote transparency in the post-Cold War era. The two sides held consultations on security issues, arms control, and counterterrorism.
The body, however, started to lose its significance as ties between Moscow and the West began to fray in the early 2010s. NATO suspended all practical cooperation with Moscow after Crimea voted to join Russia in 2014 following a Western-backed coup in Kiev.
While some diplomatic communication – which focused mainly on the Ukraine crisis – persisted until 2022, the bloc formally ended cooperation following the escalation of the conflict.
Russia has for years sounded the alarm about NATO’s creeping expansion towards its border as well as Ukraine’s ambitions to join the bloc. Moscow has repeatedly said that the Ukraine conflict’s settlement must take into account numerous issues related to the security framework in Europe.
