NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg rejects Russia's demand to break Ukraine's membership promise

Amid tensions between Kyiv and Moscow, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday rejected Russia’s demands to rescind a 2008 commitment to Ukraine that the nation would one day become a member of the alliance. This comes after Russia’s foreign ministry had said that NATO should guarantee to rule out possible NATO expansion into Georgia and Ukraine, two former Soviet republics. However, while speaking to reporters in Brussels, Stoltenberg said that the alliance’s relationship with Kyiv is going to be decided by the 30 NATO allies and Ukraine, “no one else”. 

Russia had annexed Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014 while allegedly supporting separatist rebels in the nation’s eastern Donbas region. Additionally, the Russian troops also occupy two breakaway regions of Georgia. Now, in recent months, Russia has reportedly moved around 100,000 troops to Ukraine’s border, sounding alarm in Washington and at NATO’s Brussels headquarters. 

Russia-Ukraine border tensions 

Earlier this week, during a phone call with Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden had even urged his Russian counterpart to take the path of diplomacy to de-escalate the situation or face harsh economic sanctions. Putin, on the other hand, had demanded that the West guarantee that Ukraine would not become a NATO launchpad. Separately, the Russian foreign ministry also said that NATO was on a path to draw in Ukraine, leading to the deployment of missile systems there that would target Russia. 

But Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of preparing for a possible large-scale military offensive. The Kremlin denies planning any such attacks. Meanwhile, amid the rising tensions, the European Union has sided with Ukraine. On Friday, the EU warned Moscow that it would face the consequences if it invaded Ukraine. “Aggressions needs to come with a price tag, which is why we will communicate these points ahead of time to Russia,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. 

It is pertinent to mention here that Kyiv and the West have expressed concern about an alleged plan by Moscow to invade Ukraine. Putin, on the other hand, has sternly warned NATO against deploying its troops and weapons to Ukraine. He had said that it represents a red line for Russia and would trigger a strong response. Russia has countered the West by expressing concern about Ukraine’s military buildup near the area of the separatist conflict in the country’s east. 

(Image: AP)