The United States considers that Russia poses “a real challenge to European security” and reiterates that the Atlantic Alliance is not the problem because it is a “defensive” organization that operates “with total transparency.”
“In recent years it is not NATO that is the problem. It is a defensive alliance that operates with full transparency and is a voluntary alliance. It is Russia that attacked Ukraine; Russia attacked Georgia. Russia has forces in Moldova against the will of its people. Russia has posed the real challenge to European security,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
In this regard, the head of US diplomacy, during a visit to Berlin that was preceded by a stopover in Kiev, stressed that he is seeking “to develop a more stable and predictable relationship with Russia”, although this depends “on what Russia do or don’t do.”
On the other hand, faced with the blocking of arms exports by Germany, Blinken has ruled out speaking out: “Each country makes its own decisions about the way in which it provides assistance to partner countries such as Ukraine,” he said in an interview with the newspaper ‘Heute Journal’.
With regard to the meeting he held this Thursday with the new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz –in which they discussed the situation in Ukraine, the challenges in China or the transatlantic link–, Blinken highlighted that the United States and Germany are “aligned,” according to a State Department statement.
“We had a very productive and thoughtful conversation on a wide variety of topics. And what we know, among many things, is that it’s not just about the great challenges of our time, but how we meet them, working in partnership through alliances, in multilateral organizations. And for the United States we do not have a better and more capable partner than Germany”, he said.
Regarding the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Blinken stressed that both countries have a “common approach”: “When it comes to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, our views on this are known and have been known for a long time. We oppose the pipeline. “.
“When Chancellor Merkel was in office, (we agreed) on our common approach to energy, supporting Ukraine in trying to develop its own energy security and independence, but also on our commitment not to allow energy to be used as weapon by Russia. And I know that the chancellor has reiterated his commitment to that agreement,” he said.
