Russia's conditions for security guarantees are unacceptable

 

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said Russia's conditions for providing security guarantees were unacceptable and warned that negotiations could not take place without the bloc's representatives. He set out his position in an interview with Die Welt on Wednesday.

 "Anyone who wants to negotiate a future security architecture in Europe must, of course, talk to Europeans. European security is our security, it's about us," Borel said. "Only two countries cannot negotiate this. , that is, the United States and Russia or NATO and Russia, even if Moscow imagines it that way, "he said." This is not the post-war period. There are some European countries that are not members of NATO. There should be no Yalta-2 (referring to the Yalta Conference of Allied Forces in 1945) and if [negotiations take place], then it must be Helsinki-2, ”said the head of EU diplomacy.

 "If Moscow, as announced, intends to discuss the security architecture in Europe and security guarantees from January, it is an issue that affects not only America and Russia. The EU must participate in these negotiations, such negotiations only make sense if they are to be conducted in close cooperation and with the participation of the EU, "he said. "We do not want and should not be an indifferent spectator behind whom decisions are made," Borel added, noting that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken shared this view. The head of EU diplomacy said that Moscow, for its part, seeks negotiations only between the United States and Russia. "Two players who share spheres of influence with each other. Russia wants to talk about the European security architecture without involving the EU - this is absurd. We do not accept that, "he said.

 Borel said that "for the first time, the Russian side presented its agenda in writing, namely in the form of this agreement." "It simply came to our notice then. "Only the winners do that - they say these are my conditions," he said. "Demanding security guarantees and halting EU and NATO enlargement to the east is a purely Russian agenda with completely unacceptable conditions, especially for Ukraine," Borel said. He noted that if the talks, as planned, take place, then they should discuss not only Ukraine and the enlargement of the Alliance.

 "We need to talk about all the breaches of the treaty since the adoption of the Helsinki Final Act in 1975. We do not agree with many developments in Russian foreign policy and some developments that Moscow considers its internal work," said the EU foreign minister. Among such events, he pointed to the issue of respect for human rights in the Russian Federation and the situation around Alexei Navalny. "Such issues must also be raised during the talks with Moscow," Borel said.

 Citing possible concessions to Russia, he said "it will be seen". "But we cannot compromise on fundamental principles. "Territorial integrity and the right of a sovereign state to decide for itself the issue of cooperation with other states - these principles are not negotiable," Borel said.