EU, USA, NATO and OSCE reaffirm their “close” coordination against Russia

The European Union (EU), the United States, NATO and the OSCE analyzed on Tuesday the latest developments in the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, including the letter that Russia sent to the United States on Monday about its demands, and reaffirmed their defense of the European security architecture and continue its “narrow” coordination.

These are the main results of a call “quadrilateral” Held today between the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell; the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken; NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg; and the acting president of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Polish Foreign Minister, Zbigniew Rau, informed the community foreign spokesman Peter Stano.

The four, who held their first meeting in this format on January 19 due to this crisis, discussed this Tuesday “the latest developments and diplomatic activities related to Russia’s military build-up in and around UkraineStano said in a statement.

Borrell, Blinken, Stoltenberg, and Rau had occasion to discuss Moscow’s demands for “reorganizations” on European security, including yesterday’s letter from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in which he replied to the letter sent a few days earlier by the United States to respond to demands for security guarantees from Moscow, which received that Washington responded with skepticism.

“While the answers are being prepared, they (all four) reaffirmed the need to uphold the fundamental principles of the European security architecture”, highlighted the spokesman for the European Foreign Affairs Service (SEAE), which Borrell directs.

The spokesperson also added, “agreed to continue discussions to address the current security situation, including through bilateral and multilateral engagement and close coordination at all levels”.

During the call held this afternoon, Borrell, Blinken, Stoltenberg and Rau underlined the “importance” of the OSCE as “adequate platform for these debates”.

The Polish presidency in office of the OSCE can count on “the full support” of the EU, the EEAS spokesman concluded.

In this way, the four interlocutors reaffirmed their determination already expressed after their conversation on January 19 in defense of the “existing European security architecture” and in keeping “a strong, clear and united transatlantic front”.