ST. PETERSBURG, May 20 (RIA Novosti) – Russia believes a session of the NATO-Russia Council should be convened as soon as possible amid escalating tensions in Ukraine, but Moscow cannot yet confirm the meeting, a senior Russian official said Tuesday.
“I cannot confirm this,” Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov told journalists, commenting on a possible date of May 27 date for the meeting.
On Monday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the alliance was open for political dialogue with Moscow and indicated the possibility of a meeting of the council next week.
A NATO source later confirmed that the meeting at the level of ambassadors could be held on May 27.
“I can confirm another thing, Russia believes in the current situation in Ukraine, where violence is continuing, it is necessary to immediately convene the NATO-Russia Council. We have been seeking this for several weeks. This council needs to be convened as soon as possible,” Meshkov said.
Russia's envoy to NATO, Alexander Grushko, said Monday that Moscow insists on an immediate meeting of the NATO-Russia Council due to a sharp deterioration of the situation in crisis-hit Ukraine.
Relations between Russia and the West have been strained since the regime change in Ukraine on February 22, when the parliament ousted President Viktor Yanukovych and scheduled early presidential elections for May 25.
On April 1, NATO ended all practical cooperation with Russia over Ukraine. The foreign ministers of NATO members are to review relations with Moscow at their next meeting in June.
