NATO wants to restore relations with Russia

Background

All contact between NATO on the ambassador level with their Russian counterparts was cut off in June 2014 after Crimea's referendum and the Western-backed coup d'etat in Ukraine. However, there were unofficial meetings on higher levels. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has met separately with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov several times since relations between Russia and the West froze.

A month’s wait

It is very possible that the final decision will be made after the meeting of NATO’s defense ministers (Feb. 10-11) and the Munich Security Conference, in which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will participate.

The Syrian question

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that both Russia and the United States are continuing to push for peace talks on the Syrian civil war. They are scheduled to begin on January 25.

For now, US forces have taken control of and are operating from the Rmeilan airbase in Syria’s Kurdish-dominated Hasakah Province near the Turkish and Iraqi borders. The US secured access to the base via an agreement with the Kurdish People's Protection Units, which have held Rmeilan for the past two years. The US will reportedly use the facility to provide air and logistical support to "moderate rebels".

Syria is a node at which the interests of regional actors, Russia and the West have now crossed.

NATO's split over Russia

Within NATO, there is a strong trend of division over two different strategies. The US and Britain usually promote the “hawk” point of view, which includes militarization and hysterical stories of emerging threats. France, Germany, and various new members try to take more moderate decisions insofar as they are not interested in directly serving the interests of Washington.

Many NATO members understand the need for cooperation with Russia on a pragmatic basis and are watching Russia’s military success in Syria, the results of its counter-terrorism efforts, and the quality of Russian weapon systems.

Now it seems that balance has shifted in favor of the pro-European block inside NATO, but it is very possible that British and US interests will evolve and come to the forefront once again in the future.

NATO
Russia