A meeting of the Russia-NATO Council on the Treaty on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) was held in Brussels today.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said following the talks that the meeting was successful, useful and professional, but still they have not seen any signs of a breakthrough.
"It was a successful and useful and professional meeting, at which we discussed two important topics: Ukraine and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. On both of these issues, Allies and Russia fundamentally disagree. But that is exactly why it is important to talk," he said.
"We also addressed the INF Treaty. All members of the NATO-Russia Council agree that the Treaty has been crucial to Euro-Atlantic security. But the Treaty is now in jeopardy. And unfortunately, we have not seen any signs of a breakthrough," the NATO chair added.
Stoltenberg said that today's NATO-Russia council meeting "is to discuss the INF Treaty, and for NATO allies to be able to call on Russia to come back into compliance of the treaty in a verifiable and transparent way.”
"I strongly believe in dialogue with Russia especially when times are difficult, as they are now. And then it’s even more important that we sit down and try to find political solutions because we don’t want the new arms race. We know we don’t want a new Cold War," Stoltenberg said.
