Ukraine has the right to self-defense, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said following the results of the Russia-NATO Council, RIA Novosti reports.

“Ukraine is a sovereign country, Ukraine has the right to self-defense. Ukraine is not a threat to Russia,” the NATO Secretary General said.

Stoltenberg also added that Ukraine is not a threat to the Russian Federation, since Russia is a powerful nuclear power with the largest territory.

Earlier, Stoltenberg said that Russia cannot veto Ukraine's entry into the alliance, and NATO allies are ready to support Kiev.

The meeting of the Russia-NATO Council took place on January 12 at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels and lasted about four hours. This is the first meeting of the council in 2.5 years, initiated by the Russian side, and organized as a follow-up to the talks on security guarantees between Russia and the United States, held January 9-10 in Geneva.

The Russian interdepartmental delegation included representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. On behalf of the alliance, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg chaired the meeting.

On January 13, consultations will be held at the Vienna site of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

bbabo.Net