Bloomberg: US proposes reviving NATO-Russia Council to advance Ukraine settlement

The US has come up with an offer to revive security talks under the NATO-Russia Council, which was effectively suspended after the start of the special military operation in 2022, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.  

The source said the revival of talks is proposed with an aim of resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Caliber.Az reports, citing Bloomberg.

To recall, the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) was established in 2002 as a forum for dialogue and cooperation between NATO and Russia. It aimed to build trust and transparency in areas of shared interest such as counterterrorism, arms control, and military transparency. However, relations began deteriorating sharply after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, leading to the suspension of practical cooperation.

Although diplomatic contacts under the NRC framework continued intermittently, the Council effectively ceased functioning following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. NATO condemned the invasion and bolstered its eastern flank, while Russia suspended its mission to NATO and expelled the alliance's staff from Moscow.    

By Khagan Isayev