The High-Level Council of NATO and Russia has concluded talks aimed at resolving border issues

Photo Credit: Foto: UD/Frode Overland Andersen

In Brussels on Wednesday, a Russian team met with leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to debate security recommendations, despite Western suspicions that Moscow is contemplating an invasion of Ukraine.

The first conference of the Russia-NATO Committee (RNC) since July 2019 concluded that considerable gaps between NATO and Russia "would not be simple to reconcile."

For the high-profile meetings, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko at allied head office. "It is a promising indicator," the alliance's head stated. NATO's 30 partners and Russia sat at the same table and discussed substantial issues, yet it appears that future success at the negotiation table will require more engagement.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman reaffirmed on Wednesday that any European nation should have its own right to join NATO if it wants to—despite Moscow’s demands not to take in new members.

12 Jan 2022