NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaking to media in this file photo. (AFP Photo)

NATO has warned Moscow to brace for conflict with the US-led military alliance if it does not abandon its belligerent foreign policy and cooperate with the West amid soaring tensions.

In an interview published in the Financial Times on Sunday, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the US-led alliance was prepared for the worst amid tensions with Moscow over Ukraine.

NATO’s deterrence is credible and strong. We have to hope and work hard for the best, but be prepared for the worst, Stoltenberg said, adding that a risk of conflict loomed large.

I am aware of Russia’s history. For centuries they have experienced conflict with neighbours, he said in the interview. (But) Russia has an alternative: to co-operate, to work with NATO.

The top NATO official also refused to offer any security guarantees over the alliance’s eastward expansion, stressing that a non-expansion policy by NATO would breach the alliance’s core principles.

Western governments accuse Russia of planning an invasion of Ukraine amid military buildup near the Ukrainian border. Moscow rejects the allegations and insists that deployments are defensive in nature.

Moscow has repeatedly reiterated that expansion of the NATO military infrastructure in Ukraine is a red line for it and that any future expansion must exclude Ukraine and other former Soviet countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of potential military action if the US and NATO disregard Moscow’s demands for defense pacts that would severely reduce US and NATO capabilities in Europe.

The US, EU and other western partners have warned that they will impose financial sanctions on Russia in the event of military invasion of Ukraine.

It is possible to find together a path, a political way forward, and also to address Russia’s concerns...But there continues to be a risk of conflict, Stoltenberg was quoted as saying.

Stoltenberg’s remarks came ahead of formal talks between the officials of Russia and US in Geneva on Monday, during which the two sides are expected to discuss security guarantees Moscow seeks from Washington.

They are also planning to hold a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels on January 12, while the OSCE Permanent Council meeting is scheduled to be held in Vienna on January 13.

On Sunday, Russia’s lead negotiator and deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov held talks with his US counterpart Wendy Sherman in Geneva, which he termed difficult, but businesslike.

Ryabkov said that Kremlin was disappointed with signals coming from the US and NATO’s European members as Moscow seeks a new security arrangement with the West.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in his remarks on Sunday said Russia has to choose between dialogue and confrontation.

There’s a path of dialogue and diplomacy to try to resolve some of these differences and avoid a confrontation, Blinken said. The other path is confrontation and massive consequences for Russia if it renews its aggression on Ukraine, he added

The Russian Foreign Ministry had on December 17, 2021 published a proposal of Russia’s security demands from the US and NATO.

The proposals had been handed to a US representative on December 15. However, any agreement is subject to negotiation between the two sides.