BRUSSELS, January 13./TASS/. Concrete possibilities for limits on the missiles of Russia and NATO should not be discussed publicly, since this will undermine the chances for success, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels on Thursday.
"And we can engage in talks, re-establishing some kind of limits, different types of limits on missiles as long as this is reciprocal, balanced and verifiable. Exactly the numbers, exactly the scale and the scope and how we do that, I think that's the kind of diplomatic negotiations that should not take place in public that will only undermine the possibility for a successful outcome," Stoltenberg stressed.
He also stressed that the Alliance was ready to discuss not only limitations, but also a ban on intermediate range weapons. "We have clearly expressed our willingness to sit down and discuss different kinds of limitations at different levels, as long as they are balanced and verifiable. And we had an agreement, not only limiting but actually banning all intermediate range weapons, which are of great concern in Europe," the secretary general added.
However, he reiterated NATO’s position that the termination of the INF Treaty after the US unilateral withdrawal from it in August 2019, came because of Russia’s alleged violations of it.