NATO foreign ministers to hold emergency meeting on Jan 7 over Russia-Ukraine conflict

In a bid to discuss Russia's military build-up around Ukraine, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has called an emergency  meeting of foreign ministers on Friday, 7 January. According to AP, the  meeting of the 30 alliance members will begin a week of intense diplomacy over Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s border and initiatives to ease soaring tensions. It is to mention that Russia has repeatedly denied any intentions of invading Ukraine, however, its deployment of 100,000 troops at the Ukrainian border has become a major flashpoint in relations between Moscow and the West. 

Friday’s meeting will come ahead of the two meetings -- one to be held between high-ranking officials from the US, NATO and Russia on Sunday, while another is NATO-Russia Council meeting, which is set for January 12 in Brussels. Moscow has laid down a list of demands for Washington and the Western military alliance. It has insisted that NATO must never grant membership for ex-Soviet Ukraine and must roll back its forces near Russia’s border.

The West, on the other hand, has rejected what it calls a bid by Russia to dictate the future of independent partners. The West has also threatened Moscow with the “severe cost” of launching a fresh incursion into Ukraine. US President Joe Biden has warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that Washington could impose new sanctions against Moscow if it takes action against the former Soviet nation. 

Biden urges Putin to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine 

Amid the escalating tensions, Putin and Biden have spoken twice over the past month. In both the calls, Biden urged his Russian counterpart to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine. He expressed support for diplomacy, starting early next year with bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue, at NATO through the NATO-Russia Council, and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The US President even laid out two paths, one focused on democracy and the other focused on deterrence and “significant costs and consequences" should Russia choose to proceed with the further invasion of Ukraine. 

Moreover, Biden recently spoke to the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky. He reassured his Ukrainian counterpart that America and its allies and partners will respond “decisively” if Russia further invades Ukraine. According to a readout of a call between the two leaders, Biden also stressed US’ commitment "to the principle of 'nothing about you without you,'" in an apparent reference to the need to include Ukraine in negotiations about its own future. Notably, NATO has stated that it has remained open for dialogue with Moscow. 

(Image: AP)