The United States recognizes that Russia has a right to be concerned about the possible expansion of NATO to the east, and is ready to consider this issue as part of negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. This was stated by the special representative of the US President for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, informs ABC News.
According to Kellogg, Donald Trump is ready to provide Vladimir Putin with written guarantees not to expand the Alliance to the east, if this becomes a key condition for the cessation of hostilities and the end of the war.
“I believe that this is a well-founded concern on the part of Russia, and we have also repeatedly said so. For example, we said that Ukraine’s accession to NATO is not on the agenda for us. And we are not the only country that thinks so – I can name four more countries that are against Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance. This is despite the fact that the accession requires the consent of all 32 member states. And we see that other countries are also saying: “We are not very sure about Ukraine’s accession”. – said the special representative.
Kellogg also noted that Moscow constantly emphasizes the need for guarantees regarding Ukraine’s non-adherence to NATO, while Georgia and Moldova are also mentioned in a similar context.
“And we answer that we are ready to hold a dialogue on stopping the further advance of NATO to the Russian borders. For the Russians, this is a matter of security.” Kellogg added.
We will remind you that the leadership of NATO regularly expresses its support for the prospect of Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance, but the precise terms of this process remain uncertain. In the final communiqué of the NATO summit held in Washington in July 2024, the intention regarding Ukraine’s “irreversible” membership in the organization was recorded. At the same time, US President Donald Trump, after the beginning of his term, repeatedly expressed doubts about the probability of Ukraine joining the bloc.
