Source: CNBC
The world has entered a “new Cold War,” Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday, as he held out an olive branch to western powers, urging conciliation.
“Sometimes I think, are we in 2016 or 1962?” Mr Medvedev asked, in a speech that reeled off the long list of familiar Russian grievances — from Nato expansion to western regime change projects — but also included some of the most concrete calls from rapprochement with Europe and the US since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea two years ago.
Many western diplomats and politicians — gathered in Munich this weekend for an annual security conference of world leaders — nevertheless remain deeply wary of Russia.
Speaking shortly after Mr Medvedev, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg accused Russia of “destabilising the European security order” and said the Kremlin was using its nuclear arsenal to bully neighbours in a way that would not have been countenanced even during the cold war.
Read MoreRussia warns of 'permanent war' in Syria
“Russia’s rhetoric, posture and exercises of its nuclear forces are aimed at intimidating its neighbours, undermining trust and stability in Europe,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
Russia’s ongoing military activities in Syria, where its air force has instigated a massive bombing campaign to support the regime of president Bashar al-Assad against US-backed moderate rebels, remains a particular bone of contention — despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by Moscow and Washington in the early hours of Friday morning.
The deal, which promises a temporary cessation of hostilities in Syria by the end of the coming week, is regarded by many as likely to fail at Russian hands.
Russia has shown no sign yet of de-escalating its aerial activities — though the deal contains a provision for their immediate rollback in the lead up to a full cessation of fighting by Friday.
Some diplomats point to a more accommodating message in Mr Medvedev’s speech — and in the Syria agreement — from the Kremlin, however.
“Our intensive dialogue on the future of Euro-Atlantic security, on global stability, on regional threats is particularly needed now. I find it abnormal that it almost completely stopped in many areas,” Mr Medvedev said.
“Mechanisms have been suspended that enabled the timely elimination of mutual concerns. Moreover, we have lost the culture of mutual arms control, though this served for a long time as the foundation for building trust.”
“Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against Nato as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries,” the Russian prime minister said, adding that Europe had made a “belt of exclusion” on its borders, rather than a “belt of friends.”
Speaking on Friday, Nato’s Mr Stoltenberg confirmed that discussions had taken place on the sidelines of the conference between himself and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov over the reopening of the Nato-Russia council — the bilateral body set up in the wake of the Cold War to facilitate dialogue between the Atlantic alliance and its former adversary.
“The focus of our meeting was on the relationship between Nato and Russia and we also addressed the issue of the convening the Nato-Russia council. This has never been suspended but it has been more than a year since the last meeting,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
Reviving the council’s discussions is a priority, he added. “We need [our relationship with Russia] to be as predictable and transparent as possible . . . to make sure things don’t spiral out of control and result in dangerous situations. The downing of the Russian plane [by Turkey] is one example of the kind of incidents we have to prevent.”
But there are still large stumbling blocks to even such an important, if yet tentative dialogue: Nato, says Mr Stoltenberg, will insist the matter of Ukrainian sovereignty is tabled on any agenda for a meeting. Russia is likely to raise the issue of its rights to deploy and exercise its military — and missile defence.
The Nato chief’s meeting with Mr Lavrov over the council — as with much of the limited dialogue and speeches in Munich by Washington, Moscow, and their allies — has firmed up little in practice: “We agreed that we should continue to explore the possibility of holding a meeting,” said Mr Stoltenberg.
The world has entered a “new Cold War,” Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Saturday, as he held out an olive branch to western powers, urging conciliation.
“Sometimes I think, are we in 2016 or 1962?” Mr Medvedev asked, in a speech that reeled off the long list of familiar Russian grievances — from Nato expansion to western regime change projects — but also included some of the most concrete calls from rapprochement with Europe and the US since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea two years ago.
Many western diplomats and politicians — gathered in Munich this weekend for an annual security conference of world leaders — nevertheless remain deeply wary of Russia.
Speaking shortly after Mr Medvedev, Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg accused Russia of “destabilising the European security order” and said the Kremlin was using its nuclear arsenal to bully neighbours in a way that would not have been countenanced even during the cold war.
Read MoreRussia warns of 'permanent war' in Syria
“Russia’s rhetoric, posture and exercises of its nuclear forces are aimed at intimidating its neighbours, undermining trust and stability in Europe,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
Russia’s ongoing military activities in Syria, where its air force has instigated a massive bombing campaign to support the regime of president Bashar al-Assad against US-backed moderate rebels, remains a particular bone of contention — despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by Moscow and Washington in the early hours of Friday morning.
The deal, which promises a temporary cessation of hostilities in Syria by the end of the coming week, is regarded by many as likely to fail at Russian hands.
Russia has shown no sign yet of de-escalating its aerial activities — though the deal contains a provision for their immediate rollback in the lead up to a full cessation of fighting by Friday.
Some diplomats point to a more accommodating message in Mr Medvedev’s speech — and in the Syria agreement — from the Kremlin, however.
“Our intensive dialogue on the future of Euro-Atlantic security, on global stability, on regional threats is particularly needed now. I find it abnormal that it almost completely stopped in many areas,” Mr Medvedev said.
“Mechanisms have been suspended that enabled the timely elimination of mutual concerns. Moreover, we have lost the culture of mutual arms control, though this served for a long time as the foundation for building trust.”
“Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against Nato as a whole, against Europe or against the US or other countries,” the Russian prime minister said, adding that Europe had made a “belt of exclusion” on its borders, rather than a “belt of friends.”
Speaking on Friday, Nato’s Mr Stoltenberg confirmed that discussions had taken place on the sidelines of the conference between himself and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov over the reopening of the Nato-Russia council — the bilateral body set up in the wake of the Cold War to facilitate dialogue between the Atlantic alliance and its former adversary.
“The focus of our meeting was on the relationship between Nato and Russia and we also addressed the issue of the convening the Nato-Russia council. This has never been suspended but it has been more than a year since the last meeting,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
Reviving the council’s discussions is a priority, he added. “We need [our relationship with Russia] to be as predictable and transparent as possible . . . to make sure things don’t spiral out of control and result in dangerous situations. The downing of the Russian plane [by Turkey] is one example of the kind of incidents we have to prevent.”
But there are still large stumbling blocks to even such an important, if yet tentative dialogue: Nato, says Mr Stoltenberg, will insist the matter of Ukrainian sovereignty is tabled on any agenda for a meeting. Russia is likely to raise the issue of its rights to deploy and exercise its military — and missile defence.
The Nato chief’s meeting with Mr Lavrov over the council — as with much of the limited dialogue and speeches in Munich by Washington, Moscow, and their allies — has firmed up little in practice: “We agreed that we should continue to explore the possibility of holding a meeting,” said Mr Stoltenberg.
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