Berlin. December 9th. INTERFAX - US NATO allies from Eastern Europe reacted negatively to the decision of American President Joe Biden to hold a dialogue with Russia on issues related to this alliance, Bloomberg wrote on Thursday, citing diplomatic sources.
"The authorities of one of the countries in the region are outraged and demand to immediately clarify exactly what Biden is planning," the agency reports, citing a diplomat from Eastern Europe who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"Another diplomat gave more specific data. According to him, on the eastern flank of NATO, they are nervous: the countries there were subordinated to the USSR in the past, and now they are facing an aggressive Russia. These countries want to know what kind of concessions are possible based on the results of consultations with Russia. They are also interested in what political guarantees can be given (to Russia - IF), how much NATO's freedom of action can decrease and how much the alliance's ability to act will suffer," Bloomberg notes.
The message emphasizes that Biden "is trying to show that he adheres to a hard line against Russian aggression. However, some NATO countries consider his willingness to engage in dialogue with Russia a diplomatic concession."
Earlier on Thursday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki suggested that Moscow, in a dialogue with Washington about NATO, is trying to take advantage of the fact that the alliance is going through a difficult period. "I think that after the withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan, the situation in NATO is tense. Everything is complicated, and alas, our rivals, opponents, including Russia, are trying to take advantage of the situation," he told reporters in Rome.
On Wednesday, Biden said he expects to be able to report on further U.S. contacts with Russia by December 10.
"We hope that by Friday we will be able to announce that we will have meetings (with Russia - IF) at a high level," the American media quoted Biden as saying.
As Biden said, some NATO member countries will also take part in these meetings.
"At least four of our major NATO allies will participate in the discussion with Russia of its concerns related to the alliance... This will reduce tensions on the eastern flank," the American president said.
The day before, the White House reported that Biden did not make concessions during a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the issue of NATO expansion to the east. At the same time, the US administration indicated that they are ready to discuss topics of concern with the Russian Federation.
In turn, the Kremlin reported that Putin, in a conversation with his American counterpart, declared Russia's serious interest in firm, legally binding guarantees that exclude the expansion of NATO to the east.
