The US and Nato have formally rejected Russia's demands to withdraw Western forces from eastern Europe and abandon Ukraine.
"We cannot and will not compromise on the principles on which the security of our alliance and security in Europe and North America rest," Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday (26 January).
"This includes the right of each nation to choose its own security arrangements. Russia should refrain from coercive force posturing, aggressive rhetoric, and malign activities directed against allies and other nations," he added.
Nato, the same day, "in parallel" with the US, conveyed "written proposals" to Russia for new security arrangements in Europe, Stoltenberg said.
The Western proposals included reopening Russia-Nato embassies in Brussels and Moscow and making more use of "military-to-military channels of communications" to reduce the risk of an accidental clash.
They also included nuclear arms control and greater "transparency" on military exercises.
But they fell far short of Russian president Vladimir Putin's demands, issued last December, and they underlined that Ukraine was free to seek Nato membership whether Putin liked it or not.
And Nato was sending more troops, fighter jets, and warships to the east in reaction to Russia's aggressive posture, Stoltenberg added, instead of withdrawing from the region, as Putin had demanded.
"We are removing any question about our ability to defend and protect all allies by increasing the presence in the eastern part of the alliance," Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg nodded to the outlandish nature of Russia's earlier demands, which many Western commentators saw as a propaganda hoax.
"There's no secret that we are far apart," Stoltenberg said.
"Tensions are increasing. Russia continues its military build-up. And we see also more troops not only in and around Ukraine, but also now in Belarus ... and this takes place under the disguise of an exercise," he added.
"We are not naïve," Stoltenberg said.
"We are hoping for, and working for, a good solution, de-escalation, we are also prepared for the worst," he said.
Meanwhile, the US version of the Western proposals were personally handed over by the US ambassador to Moscow, John Sullivan, at the Russian foreign ministry on Wednesday for greater effect.
"Putting things in writing is ... a good way to make sure we're as precise as possible," US secretary of state Antony Blinken said.
"It remains up to Russia to decide how to respond ... We're ready either way", he said.
The West had offered Russia "a serious diplomatic path forward, should Russia choose it", he noted.
"There should be no doubt about our seriousness of purpose when it comes to diplomacy, and we're acting with equal focus and force to bolster Ukraine's defences and prepare a swift united response to further Russian aggression," Blinken said.
"This is about respecting the right for self-determination," Stoltenberg said.
Read more at:
Nato and US say No to Putin's ultimatum
Showing posts with label NO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NO. Show all posts
5/5/22
1/30/22
The Ukraine Crises: Nato and US say No to Putin's ultimatum
The US and Nato have formally rejected Russia's demands to withdraw Western forces from eastern Europe and abandon Ukraine.
" We cannot and will not compromise on the principles on which the security of our alliance and security in Europe and North America rest," Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday (26 January).
Read more at: Nato and US say No to Putin's ultimatum
" We cannot and will not compromise on the principles on which the security of our alliance and security in Europe and North America rest," Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday (26 January).
Read more at: Nato and US say No to Putin's ultimatum
2/16/21
The Netherlands - confusion court rulings : Covid: Dutch crisis as court orders end to Covid curfew - but later, a higher court ruled curfew could stay in place
A court in The Hague has told the Dutch government that an overnight curfew to reduce the spread of coronavirus should be lifted, ruling that it breaches the right to free movement.
The court said the 21:00 to 04:30 curfew was imposed by an emergency law when there was no "acute emergency".
Later, a higher court ruled that the curfew could stay in place pending an appeal on Friday.
The curfew, imposed in January, led to rioting in several Dutch cities.
Police were patrolling streets near the Dutch parliament on Tuesday evening but no unrest has been reported so far.
The earlier court ruling - which said the curfew should be lifted immediately - was a victory for campaign group Viruswaarheid (Virus Truth) and a major upset for the government.
Read more at: Covid: Dutch crisis as court orders end to Covid curfew - BBC News
The court said the 21:00 to 04:30 curfew was imposed by an emergency law when there was no "acute emergency".
Later, a higher court ruled that the curfew could stay in place pending an appeal on Friday.
The curfew, imposed in January, led to rioting in several Dutch cities.
Police were patrolling streets near the Dutch parliament on Tuesday evening but no unrest has been reported so far.
The earlier court ruling - which said the curfew should be lifted immediately - was a victory for campaign group Viruswaarheid (Virus Truth) and a major upset for the government.
Read more at: Covid: Dutch crisis as court orders end to Covid curfew - BBC News
3/27/17
Voting starts in Europe for Turkish referendum - only a no vote can stop total Turkish dictatorship
Turkish citizens in six European
countries have started to vote in a referendum, the campaign for which
has caused an international dispute.
Some three million people are eligible to vote outside of Turkey, almost half of them living in Germany.
But political rallies have been blocked in several countries.
This has caused a bitter row between Turkey and its European neighbours, with President Erdogan accusing the Dutch and German authorities of acting like Nazis.
In Switzerland, a rally in support of the "no" vote was held in Bern on Sunday, drawing thousands - including Kurdish demonstrators.
Read m,ore: Voting starts in Europe for Turkish referendum - BBC N
10/4/15
Spain: Catalans among the pigeons - 51.7% of Catalans voted “no” to independence
Catalonia's election proved a personal triumph for regional president Artur Mas, whose separatist Together for Yes
platform was a clear winner though it fell short of an absolute
majority in Barcelona‘s parliament.
Barring last minute warfare amongst the component parts of a platform that included his centre-right Catalan Democratic Convergence party, the left-wing Catalan Republican Left and a varied array of independent separatists, Mr Mas will continue to head the regional government of this wealthy corner of north-east Spain.
That was the easy part. Watched intently by other fervent separatist movements around Europe, Mr Mas now plans to follow the “roadmap” to independence that brought this disparate group together for the election—a poll that he billed as a plebiscite on separation from Spain. With the backing of the far-left Popular Unity Candidacy, the separatists have a comfortable parliamentary majority.
But Catalonia's unequal voting system, which favours less-populated rural areas, means this majority was won with fewer than 50% of votes. When looked at as a plebiscite, the result changes. In fact, 51.7% of Catalans voted “no” to independence.
That will make life tricky for Mr Mas as he bids for international support. The roadmap foresees negotiations with Madrid that could prevent a unilateral declaration of independence scheduled for Spring 2017. But Spain must conduct a general election before the end of the year. Only then will we know how Madrid plans to handle the situation
Read more: Daily chart: Catalans among the pigeons | The Economist
Barring last minute warfare amongst the component parts of a platform that included his centre-right Catalan Democratic Convergence party, the left-wing Catalan Republican Left and a varied array of independent separatists, Mr Mas will continue to head the regional government of this wealthy corner of north-east Spain.
That was the easy part. Watched intently by other fervent separatist movements around Europe, Mr Mas now plans to follow the “roadmap” to independence that brought this disparate group together for the election—a poll that he billed as a plebiscite on separation from Spain. With the backing of the far-left Popular Unity Candidacy, the separatists have a comfortable parliamentary majority.
But Catalonia's unequal voting system, which favours less-populated rural areas, means this majority was won with fewer than 50% of votes. When looked at as a plebiscite, the result changes. In fact, 51.7% of Catalans voted “no” to independence.
That will make life tricky for Mr Mas as he bids for international support. The roadmap foresees negotiations with Madrid that could prevent a unilateral declaration of independence scheduled for Spring 2017. But Spain must conduct a general election before the end of the year. Only then will we know how Madrid plans to handle the situation
Read more: Daily chart: Catalans among the pigeons | The Economist
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