NATO headquarters building in BrusselsHELSINKI, Jan 21 Estonian President Alar Karis says that Russia's proposals for security guarantees, which include the withdrawal of NATO forces from Bulgaria and Romania, are allegedly a «political attack» on the alliance. At the end of 2021, Russia published drafts of a treaty with the United States and an agreement with NATO on security guarantees. Moscow, in particular, demands from its Western partners legal guarantees of refusing further eastward expansion of NATO, joining the Ukrainian bloc, and establishing military bases in post-Soviet countries. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that Russian proposals for security guarantees imply the withdrawal of NATO forces from Bulgaria and Romania, which joined the alliance after 1997. >Romanian Foreign Ministry responded to Russia's demands to NATO «Russia's demand «Return history to 1997, otherwise …» is a political attack on NATO. And we will firmly resist this attack,» the presidential office quoted Karis. The President noted that the return of history in 1997 — the time before NATO's eastward expansion — is unthinkable and will not happen, because NATO will not make such a decision. Russia's demand for NATO «This would mean the end of NATO, but also of the European Union, because many countries are members of both organizations. Of course, there are countries that want NATO and the EU to disintegrate, threaten, put forward ultimatums. This will not work,» Zaya Wil Karis. At the same time, the president noted that the West is ready for a dialogue with Russia, if it really wants it. «But we will not discuss how to break up NATO,» he stressed.
