US keeps NATO allies in the dark on Russia relations

by Aurélie Pugnet

NATO members have long been expected to rethink their relationship with Moscow, but talks have been halted for months, several diplomats revealed.

Last year, the 32 Alliance leaders said they wanted to "develop recommendations on NATO’s strategic approach to Russia, taking into account the changing security environment” by their next summit this July.

The summit in The Hague was meant as a turning point in the NATO-Russia relationship, after it had stopped completely when Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022 – and remained frozen ever since. 

Now, with the US negotiating a peace settlement with Russia and Ukraine, all discussions on the topic are “on hold," a source told Euractiv.

But any shift from the Western military alliance on its Russia policy could impact the outcome, as NATO’s direction is closely intertwined with the future of the war or peace in Ukraine and Russia’s role in either situation.

“We don’t talk about it,” another one said, four months before the summit.

It’s unclear what the American president wants. At this stage, “We do not know," another source said, echoing their colleagues.

He surprised his military allies when holding a phone call with the Russian leader in January, just a few days after taking office.

Under his brokerage, Moscow and Kyiv have agreed to a ceasefire in the Black Sea, while Washington also approved easing sanctions on the Kremlin and its economy.

"Discussions are ongoing among Allies regarding The Hague Summit and I wouldn’t want to get ahead of any conversations taking place," a senior US official said, though they did not respond to Euractiv’s question on the US stance. 

"Regarding Ukraine, all Allies agree that the death and destruction must stop.  President Trump wants to promote peace, and at his direction we are ready to provide the decisive leadership necessary to reach a sustainable resolution," they added.

Mix of stances

While all allies agree that the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act defining the relationship is no longer relevant, nor the five principles, tearing them apart completely is another matter.

There are divergences when deciding whether NATO should declare those null and void unilaterally or wait and see if they can work out a bilateral agreement later.

At the moment, “Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security,” as the leaders reiterated at their summit last summer, in a change of tone compared to the pre-2022 Ukraine attack.

*first published in euractiv.com