NATO's warning to Moscow on the Ukraine issue is clear.
It calls on Russia to abandon its bellicose foreign policy and work with the West to find a solution or face an alliance that is even prepared for conflict.
According to the Financial Times, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the US-led NATO is prepared for "a new armed conflict in Europe" if negotiations fail. Stoltenberg met today in Brussels with the Vice President of the Government of Ukraine, Olga Stefanitsyna, shortly before the start of the NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting. During a press conference after the meeting with Stefanitsyna, Stoltenberg said that the build-up of Russian troops around Ukraine continues and called on Russia to take de-escalation steps.
"We are sending a clear message"
"We are working hard for a peaceful resolution. At the same time, we must be prepared for Russia to choose to use armed force, conflict, instead of cooperation. We want to send a clear message to Russia that we are united and that there will be serious political and economic costs if it uses armed force against Ukraine." Stoltenberg continued. We must hope and work hard for the best, but be prepared for the worst."
However, as reported by the Financial Times, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabokhov, who is leading the negotiations in Geneva, is taking an intransigent stance. He said that his country would not back down on its demand that Ukraine never become a member of NATO, a commitment that the US and the military alliance have already ruled out.
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