After their summit in Brussels, NATO leaders define Moscow's "red lines" and close ranks to confront Beijing

The leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Monday set "red lines" for Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his upcoming summit with his American counterpart Joe Biden, and agreed during their annual summit in Brussels to form a united front against China's declared ambitions in Europe. .

"Russia and China seek to sow discord between us, but our alliance is solid, NATO is united and the United States is back," Biden said in a press conference.

Biden confirmed that he will explain to the Russian president the red lines when he meets him tomorrow, Wednesday (French)

The final statement of the summit expressed the allies' concerns. The 45-page text included 79 points, with Russia and China at the forefront, new threats in space and on the Internet, terrorism, and the rise of authoritarian regimes.

Russia remains the alliance's number one concern, and the allies declared in the statement that "as long as Russia does not show that it respects international law and does not fulfill its international obligations and responsibilities, the situation cannot return to normal," but added, "We remain open to regular and substantive dialogue."

Warning to Moscow 

Biden will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow, Wednesday, in Geneva, in the last leg of his European tour, which he started with a G7 summit in the United Kingdom, followed by the NATO summit, and concluded with a meeting with the heads of European Union bodies on Tuesday in Brussels.

"We do not seek conflict with Russia, but we will respond if it continues its activities," Biden said, a pledge that Putin would define during their upcoming meeting in Geneva what the "red lines" are.

Biden described the Russian president as a "smart" and "stubborn" man, but stressed that the Kremlin master must realize that the death of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny - if it happened - would be a "tragedy".

The US president also condemned what he called Russia's aggressive activities, and stressed his and NATO's intention to "support Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty."

 worried about china

On the other hand, the allies affirmed that "China's stated ambitions and its continued behavior constitute a challenge to the foundations of the rules-based international system, and in areas of importance to the security of the Alliance," but that it is out of the question to enter a new cold war.

In this regard, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that "China is not our adversary or enemy, but we must face the challenges it poses to our security."

"We note that Russia and China are increasingly cooperating recently, both at the political and military levels, and this represents a new dimension and a serious challenge to NATO," he added.

Biden succeeded in "inclusion of the security challenge posed by China" in the statement, although some European allies - especially France - expressed reservations.

renounce disagreements

For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a press conference that "NATO is a North Atlantic organization, China has nothing to do with the North Atlantic."

"It is very important not to be fragmented," he said, calling for the statement not to be drawn into bias against China. "The statement is much bigger than the military issue, it is economic and strategic," Macron said.

The summit also launched a review of the strategic concept of the alliance, which was approved in 2010, to enable it to confront the new threats posed in space and in the cyber field.

On Monday, NATO turned the page on Donald Trump after he was assured of Biden's determination to "revive" US alliances.

And if the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, which Washington decided without consulting with its allies, dealt a blow to the credibility of NATO's foreign operations, the allies would not abandon this country to the Taliban, according to them.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered to provide support in the Afghanistan file on the condition of US support (Anadolu Agency)

Funding will be allocated to ensure the continued operation of Kabul International Airport, which is essential to maintaining a Western presence in Afghanistan.

Turkey offered to keep a force to ensure the security of the airport, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed with his counterparts ways of this military contribution, but according to conditions.

"If Turkey is asked not to leave Afghanistan, obtaining US diplomatic, logistical and financial support will be very important," the Turkish president said.

Erdogan discussed with Biden the details of this military contribution.

"The alliance should consult more and invest more," Stoltenberg said, and the Europeans expressed their willingness to do so after receiving recognition of their contribution to common security.

The Americans still have to consider the Europeans as "trusted" allies, given that only 8 of the 21 European Union member states of NATO fulfill their commitment to allocate 2% of their gross national product to their military expenditures, and France is one of these countries, unlike Germany, Italy and Spain.