NATO Deputy Chief Not Ruling Out Renewed Cooperation With Moscow

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana said on Thursday he cannot rule out the return of Russia to the European system of norms and renewed cooperation with Moscow.

"I cannot say that Russia will not be part ever again of a European system of norms and - why not - even cooperation, but when and if they decide that they go and come back and play by the rules of the UN [United Nations] Charter, and also behave and engage as a responsible international stakeholder. So, when they do that, I see no reason for us not to reconsider [Russia’s return]," Geoana said during a German Marshall Fund virtual talk.

NATO witnessed several major expansions in the Eastern Europe, despite Washington's 1990 pledge not to include the countries in the region into the alliance.

In a bid to ease tensions, Russia presented NATO and the US a set of proposed security agreements in late 2021 designed to improve relations between Moscow and the West. The draft treaties sought to minimize troop, warship, jets and missile deployment, as well as cease NATO eastward expansion. However, the US ignored the guarantees, while the alliance noted that it will stick to the "open doors" policies, raising concerns amid deepening NATO activity in Ukraine and Georgia.

Following the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, NATO countries boosted their assistance to Kiev, providing intel data and weapons to the Ukrainian regime, with head of the alliance Stoltenberg claiming that Russia's victory would be a defeat for the bloc. However, despite all the involvement in the Ukrainian crisis, NATO claimed it is not a side in the conflict.