Russia: NATO

(asked on 8th December 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood that tensions between Russia and NATO will lead to military confrontation; what plans they have put in place to deal with such a scenario; and whether such plans include (1) re-establishing military to military dialogue, (2) establishing stabilising measures in contact zones in the (a) High North, (b) Black Sea, and (c) Baltic Sea, regions, and (3) codifying confidence-building measures in border areas.


Answered by
Baroness Goldie Portrait
Baroness Goldie
This question was answered on 21st December 2020

The UK is committed to holding Russia to account for its aggression and destabilising behaviour, collectively with our Allies and partners. We can only have a different relationship with Russia if it changes its behaviour in line with the rules based international system.

The UK and NATO continuously track and assess hostile state activity. NATO has a range of crisis management mechanisms and contingency plans in the event of military confrontation with Russia. These are supported by the UK as a core member of the Alliance. For the purposes of transparency and in order to reduce the risk of miscalculation, the UK engages Russia through diplomatic and military channels, and supports conflict resolution and confidence-building measures through the OSCE. NATO also has channels in place, both military and civilian, for the purposes of risk reduction.

UK and NATO military activity in the High North, Baltic, and Black Sea regions is conducted in a safe and professional manner in accordance with international law and United Nation Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS). A bilateral Incidents at Sea Treaty promotes practical mechanisms to reduce risk during interactions between UK and Russian units.

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