Lavrov: Russia wants military cooperation with NATO, "pragmatic" U.S. ties:
By RFE/RL
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the "post-Cold War order" has come to an end but that Cold War thinking persists among some leaders in the West.
In a brief statement at the Munich Security Conference on February 18, Lavrov repeated Russian accusations that the enlargement of the NATO alliance has created tension in Europe.
But he called for the resumption of military cooperation between Russia and NATO, saying that political meetings were pointless without it.
He said Russia wanted relations with the United States that are "pragmatic" and marked by mutual respect and acknowledgement of a shared responsibility for global stability.
Lavrov said the badly strained ties that existed now were "unnatural" and the two countries had huge potential for cooperation.
Lavrov spoke a few hours after U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the United States would "hold Russia accountable" for its interference in Ukraine while also seeking common ground with Moscow, which Pence said U.S. President Donald Trump believed can be found.
Lavrov rejected the blame Kyiv and Western countries have placed on Russia for continuing war in eastern Ukraine, accusing Ukraine of failing to meet commitments under the 2015 Minsk cease-fire deal.
He said a quarter-century after the Cold War, the world was neither "West-centric" nor "less dangerous," and that a "unipolar world" -- meaning in which the United States is dominant -- cannot last long. (w/Reuters, Interfax, TASS)
Official: Moscow "disappointed" with Pence's statement on Russia:
A top Russian politician says Moscow is disappointed by statements made by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and that Washington should specify how it will improve relations with Russia.
Konstantin Kosachyov, the chairman of the Federation Council's International Relations Committee, said at the Munich Security Conference on February 18 that it was "disappointing" that Pence said Russia "bears sole responsibility for the implementation of the Minsk agreements."
Kosachyov said Pence's comment allows Ukraine to "ceaselessly sabotage the Minsk agreements" and charged that ending the fighting against separatists in its Donbas region is "secondary to a wish to take revenge on Russia and continue to hold it under santions and in confrontation with the Western world."
Pence said Russia must uphold the 2015 Minsk cease-fire and peace deal by de-escalating violence in eastern Ukraine. He added that the United States will "hold Russia accountable" for interference in Ukraine even as it seeks "common ground" with Moscow, which he said President Donald Trump believes can be found.
Kosachyov said Moscow expected the new Trump administration to be specific in how it intends to normalize relations with Russia.
He said Moscow "would like to hear what our potential American partners see as opportunities for such normalization," adding that Russia "is certainly ready for such normalization and it applies not only to the fight against terrorism and a solution of those issues that are currently relevant, including in Syria." (dpa, Interfax)
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has told European leaders that the United States "is now and will always be your greatest ally," seeking to assuage concerns about Washington's commitment to transatlantic ties under President Donald Trump. Speaking on February 18 at the Munich Security Conference, Pence said the United States will "hold Russia accountable" for interference in Ukraine even as it seeks "common ground" with Moscow, which he said Trump believes can be found. (Reuters)
A video summary of the first day (Friday) of the Munich Security Conference:
Pence tells Europe U.S. remains its "greatest ally," urges more defense spending:
By RFE/RL
MUNICH, Germany -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has told European leaders that the United States "is now and will always be your greatest ally," seeking to assuage concerns about Washington's commitment to transatlantic ties under President Donald Trump.
Speaking on February 18 at the Munich Security Conference, Pence said the "enduring bond" between the United States and Europe is built not only on "strength of arms" but on shared values and principles "that we cherish: freedom, democracy, justice, and the rule of law."
He said he brought a message from Trump: "The United States of America strongly supports NATO and will be unwavering" in its support for the alliance.
At the same time, Pence forcefully repeated Trump's calls for European allies to shoulder their share of the financial burden, saying that only five NATO members have reached a target of spending 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense and several have no clear path to that goal.
"It's time to do more," Pence said.
He said that the United States will "hold Russia accountable" for interference in Ukraine even as it seeks "common ground" with Moscow, which he said Trump believes can be found.
Russia must uphold the 2015 Minsk cease-fire and peace deal signed in Belarus, and must start by de-escalating violence in eastern Ukraine, Pence said.
He also said the United States is committed to ensuring that Iran cannot obtain nuclear weapons.
Merkel: NATO, West must protect principle of territorial integrity:
By RFE/RL
MUNICH, Germany -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel says that Western states must protect the principle of territorial integrity and NATO needs to strengthen its eastern flank following Russia's interference in Ukraine.
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on February 18, Merkel said that territorial integrity is a crucial foundation of the post-World War II order.
She said there was "great anxiety" about the situation in eastern Ukraine, where a war between Russia-backed separatists and government forces continues nearly three years after it erupted following Moscow's seizure of Crimea.
Those Russian actions "highlighted" the importance of NATO, she said, and made clear it needed to bolster its strength on its eastern flank.
Merkel said she was committed to seeking a political solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and supported the 2015 Minsk agreement, and she was "against throwing something out that may still be useful."
She added that she was committed to meeting NATO's goal of each member spending 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense.
Merkel said she wanted good relations with Russia and believes it is in the common interest of Russia and the West to fight international terrorism.
She also said that Western countries had a "responsibility to bear" in accepting refugees and tackling the root causes leading people to flee their countries.
Merkel called for countries to work together, saying they must do so if they are to be strong.
"Will we be able to act in concert, or will we fall back into parochial policies...? Let us stand together and make the world a better place," she said.